23 Ptarmigan Drive g Guelph, Ontario g N1C 1B5 g (519)827-1601 g Fax (519)827-9251
,
Anne Bonnar, Office Co-Ordinator
Rosemary Coghlin, Administrative Assistant
Wow!! It is hard to believe that
September is over and Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. We have been busy settling into routines and the time has just flown by.
The home/school connection is so important for your child’s success. You are more than welcome to call your child’s teacher to discuss any issue. The 3Cs -
.
We are looking forward to a busy fall.. and before you know it, the winter holiday break will be upon us.
Re-organization
As a result of the school’s re-organization in mid-
September, seventy students were moved to new classes. The entire Kortright Hills Public School staff wish to thank everyone for their patience and flexibility during this challenging time. Our school now has the following classes and staff members.
Mr. Adamo
Ms. Astins
Mrs. Awad
Mr. Beaumont
Ms. Bechtel
Mrs. Bonnar
Ms. Brindle
Mr. Cade
Mrs. Campbell
Mrs. Coghlin
Ms. Collins
Mrs. Collins
Mrs. Dillio
Ms. Drew
Mrs. Farrow
Mme. Franco
Junior Core French
Custodian
Grade 4B
Custodian
Grade 1B
Office Co-ordinator
Grade 8A
Grade 1-8 Music
Grade 7A
Administrative Assistant
Custodian
Grade KC
Grade 2A
Grade Kindergarten
Grade 3A
Intermediate Core French
Ms. Fraser Grade KD/KE (Friday)
Mrs. Fulton
Mrs. Gray
Mr. Hemsley
Mrs. Holland
Mr. Keunen
Mrs. Kowch
Ms. Kramer
Mrs. LeBrun
Ms. LeBrun
Ms. LeRoy
Ms. MacLean
Mrs. Mason
Mrs. Mattuce
Mrs. McCreight
Mr. Minogue
Ms. Monsma
Mrs. Morgan
Mrs. Petersen
Mrs. Phelan
Mr. Runciman
Mrs. Snell
Mrs. Stam
Mrs Wade
Mrs. Waugh
Mrs. Zanyk
Grade KB
Grade 1/2C
Primary Planning
Grade 4/5
Grade 2/3D
Vice Principal/Primary Resource
Grade 5/6C
Child & Youth Counsellor
ASD Resource
Grade3/4
Junior/Intermediate Resource
Grade 8B
Educational Assistant
Educational Assistant
Grade 6/7
Grade 6A
Teacher-Librarian/Planning
Grade 7C
Grade 5
Principal
Grade 5B
Grade 2B
Grade 1A
Grade 5/6 (Day 3)
Resource/Planning
Welcome Ms. LeRoy
Our school’s re-organzation has resulted in the creation of a new 3/4 split class. Due to this change, we welcome a new staff member to the KHPS teaching staff. Please join me in welcoming Ms.
Sarah LeRoy who joins us from Taylor Evans Public
School. Welcome Ms. LeRoy!

We are up and running in the library! All classes have come to the library for orientation sessions, and have begun checking out books. Most classes have a set book exchange day, but students are invited to visit the library whenever they need a new book - please remind your child to return his/her books promptly when finished reading. Thank you to all of the parent and student volunteers who have offered to work in the library, helping with all of the various tasks needed to keep our library running smoothly... it is a very busy place! We appreciate your help and support.
It was great visiting with so many of you at our Open
House. Many of you had a chance to explore our
UG2GO website. This is a fantastic site created by the Upper Grand District School Board, that provides 24/7 access to quality online subscription databases, video/audio streaming, e books, and websites. Our school's library catalogue can also be accessed via UG2GO. If you didn't have a chance to drop by the library, the website is https://www.ugdsb.on.ca/ug2go. Your child will need his/her login and password that is used on the computers at school to access the site.
Visitors to the library also had a chance to visit our new "Parent Resource" section. School Council was able to purchase some resources to start our collection. Books may be signed out using your child's library card. Feel free to drop in on Tuesday or Thursday mornings before school, or any day at the end of the school day. If you have any gently used parent resources that you would like to donate to help us grow this area, they would be appreciated.
A variety of opportunities will be starting in the library this month: Library Helper training (Grade 5
- 8), Tech Club (Grade 7 & 8), and Book Clubs
(Grades 4 - 8). If your child is interested in participating in any of these activities, please remind them to listen for announcements.
Happy reading,
Sheila Morgan
Teacher Librarian
Safety, Safety, Safety!
The front of the school is a very busy place between 8:30 a.m. and 8:50 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. Buses, cars and students are prominent during these times and parents are reminded to respect the safety measures that are in place. The parking lots of the school are not to be used as drop off points for our students. Parking is available in designated areas along Ptarmigan Drive, Merganser Drive and Mallard
Court. Parents are also reminded to have their children cross at the cross-walk at the front of the school, should they be picking up on the other side of the street. During the first few weeks of school, we have had a couple close calls with students crossing Ptarmigan, not at the cross-walk, being encouraged by parents on the other side of the road.
Please choose safety over convenience!
As part of the Ministry of Education mandated Safe
Arrival program, parents taking their child(ren) from school for appointments, etc. during regular hours are reminded that they must come into the main office and sign them out.
Further, only a parent or pre-arranged substitute
(who has been identified by you as the person responsible for picking your child(ren) up is a legal adult - over 18 years of age) may sign out a student.
Please have picture identification available to show, if asked. Please assist us in keeping your child(ren) safe by respecting this safety protocol.
The rules of the Safe Arrival program state that the school must know why a student is not present on any particular day. This means that school office staff will continue to try to contact parents until one is reached. This takes an inordinate amount of time and often stretches the office staffs’ ability to carry out other duties. Please assist us in speeding this process up and calling when you know if your child(ren) is/are going to be late or absent. Messages can be left by phoning the school (519 827-1601) and choosing extension 200. Please send any notes or information about absences to the office.

If you have not returned your Student
Information Forms, or any of the other forms that went home the first week of school, please do so as soon as possible.
A huge thank you to all street and bus patrollers who have made a commitment to help keep our students safe this school year. Please support their efforts by following the guidelines for the drop-off and pick-up of students and by setting a good example, using sidewalks and crosswalks.
Adults entering the building are asked to come to the office and sign in. If you are staying to volunteer or as a visitor for an event, please pick up and wear the appropriate badge from the office. Adults in our building who are not wearing a visitor’s badge will be asked to return to the office to sign in.
To keep disruptions in the classrooms to a minimum, parents picking up students are asked to come to the office and wait for their children to meet them. If children are reminded in the morning when to come to the office to meet a parent and the teacher has been made aware of the absence, this will go a long way to keep the disruptions in the classroom down.
Finally, parents needing to speak to a teacher are asked to phone ahead and request an interview time.
Thank you for your cooperation with this initiative.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the office.
EQAO has released the results of testing carried out last May. Parents can view our overall school results for grades 3 and 6 by accessing our school website: http://website.ugdsb.on.ca/kortright/home.htm and look for the EQAO Results tab located on the left side of the webpage.
The Upper Grand District School
Board has determined that any adult working with children must have a current police check. This now includes parents who volunteer to work in classrooms or go on school trips. If you are able to volunteer at the school, we ask that you come to the office and fill out a police check form.
Guelph Police Services conducts these checks at no cost to you. Requests will be sent from the office to the police station early in the school year.
As a parent or guardian, you are responsible for expenses related to student injuries on school premises or during school activities. Accidents can and do happen, and the costs involved may not be fully covered by provincial health care or employer group insurance plans.
The Upper Grand District School Board is empowered under the Education Act to offer
Accident and Life Insurance for students.
A variety of options, including family rates, are available at affordable prices. The cost must be paid by the parent or guardian. For today’s active children who participate in field trips, co-curricular and other school activities outside the school day,
Student Accident Insurance is valuable. You can subscribe by mail or apply on-line. Questions should be directed to Reliable Life Insurance Company at 1-
800-463-KIDS (5347) or www.insuremykids.com.
Personal student and class photos will be taken on the following dates:
Tuesday, October 18 th - whole school
Wednesday, October 19 th - KC & KE

A reminder to parents; if your child requires medication during school hours, ie.,
Puffers, Tylenol, allergy medicine or any other doctor prescribed medicine, you are required to fill out the proper paperwork giving permission to our administrative staff/school representative to administer the medication.
Forms are available at the office.
For security, all medication is kept in the office.
All prescription medication must be in the original container with the child’s name and proper dosage clearly printed on the container.
Free dental care for children aged 17 and under
If you don’t have dental insurance and can’t afford care, we have free services for your children at
Public Health. At our dental clinics, we help children prevent cavities and disease. We also make sure that children with urgent problems get the treatment they need.
For more information about our dental services, call our Dental Line at 1-800-265-
7293 ext. 2661 or visit www.wdgpublichealth.ca
Small group discussions about smoking in movies
Should smoking be taken out of youth-rated movies?
Or should those movies be rated 18A? Join a small group discussion on this topic and tell us what you think. (Refreshments and grocery gift cards will be provided for your time).
For more information or to register, contact
Ivona at ivona.mostarac@wdgpublichealth.ca
or
Beth at 1-800-265-7293 ext. 4658.
Full Day Kindergarten Capital Plan
The Upper Grand District School Board has approved in principle a capital plan to complete, by
September 2014, the construction and/or renovation of classrooms required for full day kindergarten
(FDK) students. The plan also includes the proposed construction of new schools in Guelph, Shelburne,
Centre Wellington and Orangeville.
A draft schedule for implementation of the plan, and the dates for public meetings, will be available after
October 11. We will have more details about what is proposed for our school and community in the
November newsletter.
To view the the board's FDK Capital Plan, media release and Q&A, visit www.ugdsb.on.ca/fdk
Our Fall Fundraiser is underway! All funds raised will support various school programs, with the ultimate goal of improving student learning at
Kortright Hills. All orders must be returned to the school by Friday, October 14 th .
The pick-up date for both
Norcard and Tupperware orders is set for Wednesday, November
16 th . Details, including timing and location of the pick-up will be communicated once they have been finalized.
Mabels Labels is an ongoing fundraising initiative for the school. Please visit the school’s personal website: www.kortrighthills.mabel.ca
to place your order. To date, approximately $145 has been raised
.
The program will run until the end of May, 2012.
A poinsettia fundraiser will take place again this year. Watch for order forms to be sent home during the first week of November. If you work in a business office, please consider using this fundraiser to help make your workplace look more festive. We

Our first of three speakers was on
Thursday evening (Sept. 29 th ) at
7:00 in our school gymnasium.
Catherine Cameron spoke on
“Helping Your Child Feel Confident and Secure in the Elementary
School Years”. Our second speaker, Laura Brown, is scheduled for Oct. 26 th and will discuss “Staying Connected to
Your children in a Disconnected
World”. Our final speaker of the series, Susan Dafoe-Abbey, will speak on “Confident Kids: Cultivating an Emotionally Safe School
Experience”, on November 21 st .
Council was successful in obtaining grant financing from the Ministry of Education for this Speaker
Series, so please come on out and take advantage of this great parenting resource.
Food Programs will commence during the week of October 3 rd . The first food installment cheques will be cashed on October 1 st .
The date has been set for our annual Christmas
Family Fun Day. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, December
3 rd . This is always a great day for our Kortright families to come together to kick off the holiday season.
The next School Council meeting is scheduled for
Monday, October 17 th at 7 pm in the school library. Everyone is welcome!
Last year, our school achieved a bronze "ECO Schools" rating, and this year we're looking to make things even more "green"!
In an effort to reduce paper, we will no longer be producing paper copies of the monthly school newsletter, unless specific requests are made to the office. Instead, the monthly newsletter will be posted on the school website (as it currently is) and a reminder label will be placed in your child(ren)'s agenda as each new post is made at the beginning of each month. Also, class newsletters and websites will be able to be easily accessed through a live link to each staff member, under the "Staff" link. We are looking forward to working cooperatively with our community partners to improve our carbon footprint -- thanks for your support of our "green" initiatives!