PARKINSON CENTENNIAL
SEPTEMBER 2015 NEWSLETTER
P AOLA A RGENTINO , P RINCIPAL • K AYE M ARTIN , V ICE P RINCIPAL • A TTENDANCE (519) 941-2461 E XT . 100
Vice-Principal’s Message
Welcome back!
I hope that everyone had a fun and safe summer! I am excited to take on the role of Vice-Principal at Parkinson
Centennial and be part of this great community. I have heard so many wonderful things about this school and have felt
welcomed the moment I stepped through the doors. I am looking forward to working with the students, staff and
families of PCPS and I would like to extend a welcome to all the families, who like me, are new to the school.
Since beginning my career in education, I have had the pleasure of teaching children in the primary, junior and
intermediate divisions. Working with children in the classroom, as well as through extra-curricular activities, has given
me a great foundation for my continued journey as a Vice-Principal. Listening, patience, hard work and determination
are skills that, I believe, bring successes in life. A smile doesn’t hurt either! I can’t wait to hear about all the success
stories at Parkinson. Make sure to introduce yourself. My door is always open!
The teachers have been working very hard to plan and prepare their classrooms for the students’ arrival. They look
wonderful and very inviting! A huge thanks goes out to our custodial staff who have worked hard over the summer
months cleaning the school and giving it that ‘new’ shine!
As we start the school year, please be aware of changes to our daily schedule. We now begin our instructional day at
8:40am. Please note that supervision on the yard will begin 8:25am. We ask that students not be dropped off prior to
this time. Our first nutrition break will begin at 10:40 am and the second nutrition break will begin at 1:20pm. The
students will have 20 minutes eating time and 20 minutes outside for recess for both breaks. Please keep in mind,
when preparing lunches and snacks, that we have a number of children in our school who have anaphylactic allergies
towards nuts. See the information found in this newsletter.
Please contact the school if you have any questions or concerns.
Yours in education,
Kaye Martin
Vice-Principal
Important Reminders
Your child has received several items that need to be reviewed, corrected or completed, signed, and returned to the
school as soon as possible. They include:
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Consent to Share Personal Information – (green paper) without this signed form, your child’s photo or video
cannot be taken during classroom activities or special events and shared outside the school (Twitter, school
website, newsletters). The school does not share students’ last names or other personal information.
Report Cards – if you did not pick up your child’s June report card, it has been sent home with your child this
week.
Student Verification – this form contains the information we have on file for your child. Please carefully review
this information, make necessary corrections and sign. It is very important that we have correct contact
information on each student in case of emergency.
Student Accident Insurance Acknowledgement – (yellow paper – to be sent home next week) complete and
sign this form and return it to the school. Please note, application forms and cheques are to be sent directly to
the insurance company and not to the school.
If your child is going to be late or absent, please remember to call the attendance line before 8:40
extension 100
519-941-2461
Safety Reminder
The roundabout in front of the school is a no parking zone. The circular drive is meant for school busses. We would
appreciate it if parents could encourage students to walk, and if this is not possible, please park/stop along the road to
drop off your child. Busses are often unable to enter or exit our roundabout because it is being used as a parking area.
For the safety of all our children please refrain from doing so!
Life Threatening Allergies
While many children have allergies, some children have life-threatening food allergies. We understand
that many parents are becoming increasingly concerned about foods that can cause severe, adverse,
allergic reactions and rely on your support to ensure the safety of all students.
Please help us to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all students, by not sending any
snacks or lunches that contain nuts or nut products.
We appreciate that it is difficult at times to find a variety of items for student lunches, however, we ask for your
understanding and support in this situation.
International Walk to School month (IWALK) is an annual global event taking place each
October. It celebrates active transportation and its benefits such as: increasing physical
activity, decreasing traffic congestion, improving safety, developing a sense of community,
promoting social interaction, and preserving the environment.
International Walk to School Day October 7th
IWALK week is October 5-9 or
Walk/wheel to school all month!
It is important to keep your child’s immunization records up-to-date with Public Health. Students who do not have upto-date immunization records, may be suspended from school. Please report your child’s immunizations to Public
Health by calling 1-800-265-7293 ext.4396.
Health and Physical Education
In September the new Health and Physical Education curriculum will begin to be implemented in Ontario schools. For
elementary schools, the new curriculum has existed for several years, but will now include an updated portion of its
‘Healthy Living’ component to include Human Development and Sexual Health. The curriculum is available on the
Ministry of Education’s website. The document as a whole aims to educate children to:
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understand themselves and others,
think critically to make healthy choices,
develop and maintain healthy relationships,
be safe physically and emotionally,
be physically active for life.
The Human Development and Sexual Health component of the curriculum had not been updated since 1998. Since then
much has changed and kids need to know more to keep themselves healthy and safe. This education starts with
children learning about themselves, their feelings, their bodies and about showing respect for themselves and others in
a reliable and accurate way. This learning is most effective when parents and schools work together. Parents help their
children form values about relationships and their behaviours. Teachers will endeavour to communicate upcoming
topics from the Human Development and Sexual Health units to families. Open and honest conversations at home
about body parts, their functions, physical changes, healthy relationships and effective living habits help children
connect learning and lets them know they have someone to talk to about questions they might have. Questions about
topics can always be directed to the teacher or school principal.
The document also focuses on skills related to Active Living, which involves:
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physical fitness,
safety and active participation;
movement, which teaches specific movement and physical activity skills and tactics; and
healthy living, which focuses on understanding health concepts, making healthy choices and making
connections to healthy living.
There are plenty of ways you can support your children’s learning from the Health and Physical Education curriculum.
Consider what you and your child can do together that is fun and healthy. Enjoying physical activity or making meals
together is a great start. Ask your child and their teacher about what is being taught and have discussions where you
provide factual, straightforward answers to your child`s questions. Finally, learn how to be safe online and use that
information to guide your child’s use of any device that connects to the internet. There are
plenty of resources available for parents to support the learning from the HPE curriculum.
The best place to start is the Ministry of Education’s website:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health.html or at
https://www.ontario.ca/page/sex-education-ontario.
Report Bullying
We take all
incidents of bullying seriously. If your child is the victim
of bullying or sees bullying behavior at school, please
encourage him/her to speak with someone at school or
use our board’s online reporting tool. Report Bullying
gives students and parents 24/7 access for reporting
bullying. You don’t have to identify yourself – just your
school – and your message gets sent directly to the
school principal for follow-up. You’ll find the Report
Bullying button on our school’s website.
SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTION INFORMATION FOR
PARKINSON CENTENNIAL PUBLIC SCHOOL 2015-2016
Have you ever wished that you could make a great difference in your child's education experience and get involved with
our school? Have you ever wanted to express an opinion on how our school council dollars are spent? How about a
gaining a great understanding of the events going on within our school? If you answered YES to any of these, or if you
are interested in more information we encourage you to attend one of our school council meetings, or even better
become a voting member.
Our council is made up of Chair, Co-Chair, secretary, treasurer, community representative, 2 teacher representatives
and 5 or more parent representatives. All executive and parent positions are held for one year. In September of each
school year the council holds an election after collecting nominations from the school community for positions.
The executive positions available on School Council are: Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary, Treasure, and at least 5 Parent
Representatives. The Remaining positions are appointed by council.
If you know of anyone parent/guardian you would like to nominate for any of these positions please fill out the reverse
page and send it into the school office. You may also nominate yourself. Please attach a short paragraph about who
you are and the position you would like to hold on School council.
Please note: executive parent council members may not be employees of the boar and must have a child attending
Parkinson P.S.
Please forward nomination forms to the school office by: Monday September 14, 2015
Elections will occur at the next School Council meeting on: Monday September 14, 2015
Childcare will be available; please notify Tammy Filsinger-Sproule via email if you require babysitting.
Thank you in advance
Current Parent Council Acting Chair, Tammy Filsinger
tamfilsinger@gmail.com
School Council Self-Nomination Form
( ) I wish to nominate myself for _________________________on the School Council.
Name:__________________________________ Phone #_________________________
Email Address:__________________________
I am the parent/guardian of _______________________________ who is currently
registered at Parkinson Centennial P.S.
Candidate's Signature:_________________________________ Date:________________
Candidates: Please include a “brief” biography of yourself along with this form. Please return
this form to the school office by Friday Sept. 11, 2015. Thank you for your interest.
__________________________________________________________________________
School Council Nomination Form
( ) I wish to nominate ________________________for ________________on the School
Council.
Name:____________________________ Phone #_________________
Email Address:__________________________
____________________________ is parent/guardian of _____________________________
who is currently registered at Parkinson Centennial P.S.
Nominator's Signature:_________________________________ Date:_________________
Nominee's Signature:__________________________________ Date:_________________