525 Grange Road, Guelph, Ontario N1E 7C4
Tel. 519.836.4545 Fax 519.836.9612
Principal: S. Marquis; VP: T. Drohan
Office Coordinator: L. Smith
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL AND VICE-PRINCIPAL
The first month of school is over and the fall weather is on its way. As always the beginning of the school year
has been full of excitement, making new friends and adjusting to routines.
At the beginning of each school we ensure that all students are aware of these important routines in case of
emergency. Our first Fire drill was completed this past week and we have 2 more to go before Christmas
break. The Police have been in to do training with our street patrols and classroom and recess helpers for
Kindergarten have been trained. Everything is in place for a fun and
a safe school year.
The school and community are excited with the upgrading and
greening of the Kindergarten yard. Our next step is to add some
upgrading and greening to the school yard. The main goal of our
School fundraising this year, along with the support of School
Council, will be to raise enough funds to green up the large yard. We
always appreciate the Parent and Community support around these
initiatives.
Wishing all our Diamondback Families and Community a Happy
Thanksgiving Weekend.
Saskia Marquis and Trisha Drohan
COMMUNICATION FROM THE SCHOOL
We have 4 ways we are communicating information to Parents and School Community:
1. School Website: http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/kendanby/
2. Aizan Automated phone messages: Please note messages will be sent to the primary phone number
that was provided to the office.
3. Twitter @KDDiamondbacks
4. Student Agendas
MAGAZINE FUNDRAISER
Let’s Promote Literacy!
Our Magazine Fundraiser in now underway. Take advantage of the
Thanksgiving weekend to sell to family and friends!
This program promotes literacy in our community and more than 1/3 of
money raised stays in our school to benefit our students. The magazines
are being offered at great prices and there are some wonderful
magazines for students too like Chirp, Chickadee, Owl, or National
Geographic Kids. You can also order online all year long and the profits
still go to our school. Please refer to the flyer and catalogue which has
been sent home for further details. The due date for all orders is Tues.
Oct. 21st.
PARENT INTERVIEWS
Our Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on Thurs., Nov. 26th (in the evening) and on Fri., Nov. 27th (during
the daytime on the PD Day). We believe it is beneficial to discuss your child’s progress as early as possible, in
the first term right after the progress report card comes home. You will be able to sign up on line for your
interview times. A letter will be coming home which will provide you with the directions on how to sign up for
an interviews with your child’s classroom teachers.
LIBRARY NEWS
It is great to see students back in the library signing out books! Please help your child return their books (up to
2) at their scheduled time, so that they can regularly enjoy signing out new books. Talk to your child’s teacher,
if you are not sure what day that is. Books are overdue after two weeks and students cannot sign out new
books until their overdue books are returned. If your child is told that their book is overdue but you are sure
they returned it, please call or have your child see me as soon as possible. We can then look for the book in
the library together and get the situation resolved quickly so they can take out another book.
If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to call me at Ext. 225.
Mrs. Forde,
Teacher-Librarian
SCHOOL COUNCIL
Let’s Get Green! Ken Danby School Council fundraiser is kicking off with a farm
fresh idea. We are selling fruit and vegetable staples found in most homes from
local farmers. We are excited to be supporting local growers and putting healthy
food into the hands of our students. Please support our fundraising efforts and
watch as we turn the money raised into lush green spaces around the school
yard. We hope to provide natural environments which promote healthy activity
and exploration in our students. Orders are due October 13th, 2015.
If you would like more information or are interested in being a part of School
Council please join us at our next meeting on Thursday October 15th from
6:30pm-8:30pm in the school library. We look forward to seeing you there!!
PA Day in October
October 30th is a PA Day. There is not school for students on this day.
SCHOOL SAFETY
We take the safety of your child very seriously. In the interest of student safety, the Upper Grand District
School Board has directed all schools to conduct 6 fire drills, 2 lock down drills and 1 tornado drill each school
year. Students have become quite accustomed to our different drills, including the lock down drill. During our
intruder drill we strive to minimize anxiety by reassuring students that the activity is a “pretend” situation and
we are only practicing just like we do with fire drills and tornado drills. Detailed drill procedures have been
developed in conjunction with our local police services and are provided to all schools as part of our
emergency procedures manual. Every teacher has a copy of this manual in their classroom, and all emergency
procedures are reviewed throughout the year.
Please also read the Health and Safety section of the Family Handbook to review other safety topics. This
handbook is found online on the Ken Danby P.S. website. Please also go to our website to find information on
our Bullying Prevention Plan, Code of Conduct, Anaphylaxis Plan as well as a Risk Assessment Letter from the
director of education.
SNACK PROGRAM NEWS
The snack program is up and running! We are excited to offer fresh fruits and vegetables every week to any
hungry kids (plus whole grain products, dairy products and more). We encourage families to pack fruits and
veggies in school lunches. Each month we will offer a delicious fruit or vegetable recipe to try.
October's featured vegetable is pumpkin. This seasonal vegetable is full of fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Try it this month in these delicious muffins.
Healthy Pumpkin Muffin
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda,
ginger, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in raisins; make a well in center of mixture.
Combine brown sugar, canned pumpkin, buttermilk, canola oil, molasses, vanilla extract, and eggs, stirring well
with a whisk. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.
Spoon batter into 18 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake at 400° for
15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pans immediately;
cool on a wire rack.
Source: Marge Perry, Cooking Light
VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL
We warmly invite parents and guests to visit our school and encourage volunteers in our classrooms. For
safety reasons, all visitors must report to the office, sign in, and obtain a visitor’s badge before
proceeding to classrooms or onto the yard..
STUDENT SAFETY PATROLS
Student safety patrols are on duty for fifteen minutes before classes begin and for fifteen minutes after classes
end. They are there to help students who wish their assistance. Please discuss with your child the route you
wish them to take to and from school in order to utilize the safe crossings provided to them. We expect all
students to respect our safety patrols, who are providing our students with a valuable service. We will have
safety patrols at the walking pedestrian light in front of the school on Grange Rd., as well as at the front of the
school where the sidewalk crosses the parking lot driveway. It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure their
child gets to school safely.
Parents using the parking lot please do not stop on the crosswalk as you are waiting to exit the parking lot.
This will allow safety partorls to allow students to cross when the traffic has stopped.
The Safety Patrols have also been assisting the Kindergarten Students, at the drop off spot, and walking them
to the gate. This has been a wonderful help in assisting the traffic flow in the parking lot.
STUDENT DROP OFF PROCEDURES
If you must drive your child to school, please note that we have a “Bus/Taxi Only” lane at the front of the
school, as well as the parking lot is a drop off zone for Kindergarten students only. For safety reasons, no
other cars will be permitted to enter the parking lot at Ken Danby P.S. before school (8:15 am to 8:35 am) and
after school (3:00 pm-3:15 pm).
The best drop off spots for students can be found on Swift Crescent or O’Connor Lane which are located
behind the school. Students can safely walk the short distance across the park to the back of the school.
These streets will help you avoid the busy pace of Grange Rd. We have also had concerns regarding the
number of cars who do U-turns on Grange Rd. This is not permitted and is a very dangerous practice. Please
take an extra minute to go around the block, or turn into one of the cul-de-sacs which have a “turn around” at
the end. Thank you for assisting us in keeping all students safe as they travel to and from school.
FALL FOOD DRIVE
Our Fall Food Drive begins Oct 2nd and continues until October 9th. The Food Bank is in need of many items
such as: canned fruit and vegetables, canned meats, soups, pasta and sauce, rice products, baby food and
formula, diapers and wipes, and toiletries like soap, shampoo, toothpaste to name a few. All donations are
gratefully appreciated! Please place donations in the bins in the front foyer.
Guelph CVI: IB Information Night
IB INFORMATION NIGHT
All Grade 7 and 8 parents invited!
Guelph CVI is proud to be an International Baccalaureate Candidate School. Parents interested in learning
more about the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, the Grade 9 Preparatory Program and the
application process are invited to attend our Information Night.
Thurs Nov 19th 7pm
GCVI Auditorium
155 Paisley St
TERRY FOX RUN
On Oct 2nd we had our Terry Fox Walk/Run. Terry Fox’s remarkable determination
and his wonderful achievement was highlighted as an inspiration for us all. We would
like to thank everyone who came out or supported the Terry Fox Walk/Run. It was a
special event, and the whole school participated.
EVIRONMENT: PROTECT OUR EARTH
This year we will challenge ourselves to LIVE green every day, because one small change one day
at a time adds up to a world of difference. The environmental theme for September is sustainability.
‘Sustainability’ means protecting our Earth and using Earth's natural resources carefully, like forests,
water, minerals, and fossil fuels.
Part of living in a sustainable way is using, buying and eating only what you really need. This saves
resources and cuts down on waste too. For example, do you really need a new pencil case or pencil
crayons or a brand new eraser every year, or do your old ones still work? Do you throw your leftover
lunch items in the garbage at school, or do you take them home and eat them for a snack after
school? Do you buy vintage clothing or wear hand-me downs? Do you eat meat every day, or do
you eat vegetarian at least once a week, like those who have accepted the 'Meatless Monday
Canada' challenge.
To find out how carefully you use the Earth's resources, Google the following words: “zero footprint
calculator” and take the footprint calculator quiz. It will tell you how many Earths we would need to
survive if everyone lived like you!
Slogan of the month: Sustainability – choosing to live better with less!
BLUE JAY FEVER AND MATH
Have you caught Blue Jay Fever yet, or are you already thinking about the NHL
pre-season? Maybe you’re not a sports enthusiast, and instead are busy taking
your children to dance, swimming or music lessons. Whatever the case, why not
incorporate math into these afterschool activities? Here are some quick and
easy connections to share with your children on those early mornings, after
school or late night drives that connect math to our everyday lives.
1. Batting average
This number tells fans how many times a player gets a hit compared to the
amount of times he gets up to bat. Simple division is used to figure out a batting
average. For each game divide the number of hits the player gets by the
number of times he is at bat. The answer should result in a decimal answer. (For example: Bautista
gets up to bat 8 times, but he only hits 5 times. The equation would be 5 divided by 8 giving a batting
average of 0.625.)
2. Staying out of the penalty box
Which fraction is largest: 5/4, 4/3, 3/2 or 2/1? If the Leafs have a 5 on 4 advantage, and Phaneuf has to
decide whether to draw an opponent away from the play, it's important for him to know that 4/3 is a
larger fraction than 5/4. Math tells us that 4 skaters have a better advantage over 3 than 5 skaters have
over 4.
3. Patterns in Music
Musical pieces often have repeating choruses or bars, similar to patterns. In mathematics, we look for
patterns to explain and predict the unknown. Music uses similar strategies. When looking at a musical
piece, musicians look for notes they recognize to find notes that are less familiar. In this way, notes
relate to each other. Relationships are fundamental to mathematics and create an interesting link
between music and math. Listen carefully to the music next time. You’ll definitely hear the patterns!
4. Swimmingly Mathematical
Speed of swim (measurement of distance and time), surface area of palm (area measurement of odd
shape), kicking angle of the legs (trigonometry, angle), rhythm of the stroke (sequence, counting,
pattern sector), and breathing (volume of air required, space measurement) are all about the math!
The Science of Dance
There’s the symmetry (between arms and legs, but also between bodies and within a single body), counting,
rhythm, momentum, mass, connection, sequence, and shape. Every area of math can be expressed with the
human body.
Source: https://www.google.ca
5
Go Math Go! Go Math Go! Go Math Go! Go Math Go! Go Math Go! Go Math
Go! Go Math Go!
TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH!
Welcome to the new school year! My name is Dr. Lynn Woodford and I am the Mental Health and Addiction
Lead for the school board. Every month I write a column for school newsletters about mental health and
provide strategies and resources for families.
Hope that the transition back to school has been a positive one for you and your family. If your child or youth is
experiencing any challenges with the transition back to school, please talk to your child or youth’s teacher or
administrator.
The UGDSB has many resources available on its website: http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/ for parents and students
to access. To access these resources: click on the Parent tab then click on the Mental Health Tab. There is
also a Student tab with a Mental Health tab, which you can share with your children and youth.
Once you are on site, you will find information about local mental health and addiction resources:

Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington Dufferin Branch (CMHA WWD)
o
o
To access Addictions, Mental Health (including eating disorders and first episode psychosis) and
Crisis Services (Guelph/Wellington for Children/Youth and Guelph/Wellington/Dufferin for Adults)
contact:

HERE247 at 1 844 437 3247 (1 844 HERE247)

www.here247.ca
Walk in Services on Tuesdays for Children/Youth 1:30- 7:00

o

485 Silvercreek Pkwy, Guelph
wwd.cmha.ca
Dufferin Child and Family Services (Services for Children/Youth in Dufferin County)
o
To access Addictions, Mental Health and Crisis Services

o
Talk in Services on Tuesdays 1:00- 7:00

o
519-941-1530
655 Riddell Road, Orangeville
http://dcafs.on.ca/
There is an Access to Mental Health Resources document that provides more details about counselling and
supports in Guelph Wellington Dufferin.
There are also links to useful websites with information for parents about mental health and addictions such as:

Kids Help Phone (1 800 668 6868) www.KidsHelpPhone.ca provides phone and web counselling for
youth under the age of 20. Support is free, 24/7, anonymous and confidential.

The ABCs of Mental Health http://www.hincksdellcrest.org/ABC/Welcome
provides information related to different mental health concerns, according to developmental ages.
Hope these resources are helpful for you and your families. Hope you have a wonderful fall!
Dr. Lynn Woodford is the Mental Health and Addiction Lead for Upper Grand District School Board
THE SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SEAC)
The Upper Grand District School Board has established a Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) in
accordance with the Education Act. SEAC is made up of local parent representatives of Provincial
Associations, two school trustees and interested local community representatives.
SEAC members receive orientation and training to become informed on important topics
in Special Education:
● Sections of the Education Act relating to Special Education
● Regulations and Ministry memoranda
● Board policies regarding Special Education
● The Board Special Education Report
● Roles and responsibilities of SEAC
● The funding of Special Education
What does SEAC do?
● Makes recommendations for the establishment, development and delivery of Special Education
programs and services for exceptional pupils in our Board.
● Participates in the Board’s annual review of its Special Education Report.
● Participates in the Board’s annual budget process and financial statement review as theyrelate to
Special Education.
● Provides information to parents, as requested.
● Supports the Special Olympics Annual Track and Field day.
Procedures for Selecting Members
● nominations from local associations
● approaching local chapters of provincial associations for suggestions
● writing a presentation that can be shared with parent councils, families of schools, etc. to get the
information about SEAC into the community
Meeting Times and Dates
The SEAC meets on a regular basis. Meetings occur on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at
the Upper Grand District School Board office at 500 Victoria Road North, in the Board room. Meetings are
open to the public. Members of the public should contact Program
Services (Krystyna Gazo at 5199416191 ext. 254) to confirm the time, date and location of the meetings.
Further information regarding SEAC, as well as Special Education in Upper Grand District
School Board can be found on the UGDSB Special Education Plan ., as well as the Board
website