Kortright Hills Public School
23 Ptarmigan DriveGuelph, OntarioN1C 1B5(519)827-1601Fax (519)827-9251
Kirk Runciman, Principal
Anne Bonnar, Office Co-Ordinator
Kim Kowch, Vice Principal
Rosemary Coghlin, Administrative Assistant
Newsletter for October, 2012
From the Principal’s Desk
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. Please
remember the 3Cs - Communication, Communication,
Communication.
We are looking forward to a busy fall..and before
you know it, the winter holiday break will be upon us.
Kirk Runciman
Principal
New Staff
This year we have several new teachers joining the
KHPS staff. This year we welcome Ms. Abdool to
Grade 1, Mrs. Cameron to Kindergarten and Ms.
Holliday to the Intermediate division. We also
welcome back Mrs. Gray to Kindergarten on a parttime basis. KHPS also welcomes Mrs. Hayward, Mrs.
King and Mrs. Schram as support staff in their roles
as Educational Assistants.
Soccer Field Update
Work on the school’s soccer field will begin during
the first week of October. It is expected to be
completed by the end of October. Due to the hot
summer, this work was moved back from its original
date of early July.
Organization of Classes
Classes for the 2012/2013 school year were
finalized on Monday, September 10th. Students
started in their permanent class placements on
Tuesday, September 11th. We will be seeking
feedback on the reorganizational plan we
implemented during the first five days of the school
year where students were placed in grade, divisional
and school wide groups, doing a variety of activities.
The school’s Character Education Committee has
created an online survey for parents which is
available by clicking on the following link:
https://docs.google.com/a/ugcloud.ca/spreadsheet/v
iewform?formkey=dFd0SksxN3FDNzl2azV2Zlh1
Mm10dVE6MQ#gid=0
Please take some time to offer your constructive
feedback. A survey has also been created for
students to complete at school, and they will have
the opportunity to offer their thoughts on the first
week of school activities.
One of the school wide activities was for students to
brainstorm a list of school expectations for
appropriate behaviour, and these lists were then
collated to create our very own Cobra Creed. The
Cobra Creed will be made into posters to display in
all classrooms, reminding everyone who visits our
school, the core beliefs we have as a community of
learners.
Cobra Creed
We greet each day and each other with kindness and
appreciation.
We respect each other and our school.
We treat our peers, our teachers, and all others
that work or visit here as we would like to
be treated.
We respect the belongings, opinions, and
learning of others, just as we respect
ourselves.
We share, we listen, we work, and we play with
fairness, compassion, and honesty.
We are responsible in our actions, our thoughts, and
our commitment to do our best.
We demonstrate respect, learn with passion, and
lead with integrity.
We are proud to be Kortright Cobras!
A huge thank you to the Mason family and Mr.
Keunen for taking the time to re-write our KHPS
School Song, which we sang every day at our
assemblies, and will continue to sing every time we
get together as a school group.
KHPS School Song
We, are the kids of Kortright Hills
We come to school each day,
To laugh and learn and play,
This is our home,
We'll shout it out and say:
Kortright Hills
We, are the kids of Kortright Hills
And when you look around our place.
You'll see a smile on every face
This is our home,
We'll shout it out and say:
Kortright Hills
We, are the kids of Kortright Hills
We show our spirit every day
In what we do and what we say,
Other schools watch out
When Cobras come to play:
"HISS"
Ms. Hayward
Mr. Hemsley
Mrs. Holland
Ms. Holliday
Mr. Keunen
Mrs. Kowch
Mrs. Moreau
Mrs. Lebrun
Ms. Lebrun
Ms. Maclean
Mrs. Mason
Mrs. Mattucci
Mrs. McCreight
Mr. Meunier
Mr. Minogue
Mrs. Morgan
Mrs. Petersen
Mrs. Phelan
Mr. Runciman
Ms. Schram
Mrs. Snell
Mrs. Stam
Mrs. Wade
Mrs. Waugh
Mrs. Zanyk
E.A.
Primary Planning/Gr 6
3/4D
7A
3C
Vice Principal
6B
Child & Youth Counsellor
ASD Resource
Resource
7/8C
E.A.
E.A.
5B
6A
Teacher Librarian
Int. Science/Phys. Ed
KC/KD
Principal
E.A.
5A
2A
1/2C
Planning
Resource
#322
#319
#307
#323
#224
#412
#227
#335
#229
#339
#318
#425
#340
#311
#302
#223
#301
#328
#525
#403
#336
A Warm Welcome from the Library
Kortright Hills...
Kortright Hills...
Kortright Hills...
KORTRIGHT HILLS!
Accessing Technology at Home
Below is a listing of staff and their voice mail
extensions:
Ms. Abdool
Mr. Adamo
Mrs. Astins
Mrs. Awad
Mr. Beaumont
Mrs. Bechtel
Mrs. Bonnar
Ms. Brindle
Ms. Cameron
Mr. Cade
Mrs. Coghlin
Mrs. Collins
Ms. Conte
Mrs. Di Ilio
Mrs. Farrow
Mme. Franco
Mrs. Fraser
Mrs. Fulton
Mrs. Gray
1B (Halftime)
Junior Core French
Custodian
4A
Custodian
1A
Office Coordinator
8A
KA
Gr. 1-8 Music
Admin. Assistant
1B (Halftime)
Planning/Resource/Gr 5
2/3B
3A
7/8B
Planning
KB
Kindergarten (Friday)
#312
#300
#309
#331
#430
#221
#327
#304
#308
#200
#321
#329
#309
#337
#306
#316
#332
#320
Has your family visited the UG2GO site? This all-inone site for students and families includes a wide
variety of activities, research tools, electronic
books, music, videos, curriculum links, blogs,
homework help, School2Go (curriculum based
activities for when your child is away from school)
and more. New content has recently been added on
UG2GO. https://www.ugdsb.on.ca/ug2go
BookFLIX from Scholastic pairs fiction and nonfiction texts with fun games to assess vocabulary,
sequencing, and discrimination skills. Pairs of books
on a variety of topics are available for Primary
students to read independently or to listen to with a
read-along option.
TumbleBookCloud Junior is a great option for young
readers who want to go beyond the picture books
and early readers offered in Tumblebooks or
BookFLIX. With over 300 titles and reading levels
from grades 3-6, Tumblebook Cloud Junior contains
early reader chapter books, children's classics,
graphic novels, children's audio books and National
Geographic videos.
Grade 7 & 8 students can also use TumbleBookCloud
found under the Read drop-down menu on the
Secondary UG2GO page. TumbleBookCloud has
another 300 titles and is the middle school AND
high school collection of YA/Teen novels, classics,
poetry, short stories, YA/Teen audio books, and
graphic novels.
A link to give students quick access to their UGCloud
accounts has also been added to the UG2GO
homepage. Clicking the UGCloud box will take you
directly to the login for our board Google Apps for
Education site.
•
To access both the UG2GO and the UGCloud from
home, students use the username and password that
they use to access our school computers. If your
child is unsure of his/her login information, please
check with the classroom/computer teacher.
Feeling Overwhelmed with Media?
Movies, video games, apps, books, websites, music,
television shows, social networking... many children
are exposed to a wide variety of media everyday. If
you are struggling to keep up or would like to find an
easier way to help your child choose media that is
age appropriate, visit the Common Sense Media
website for reviews, recommendations, and
information about many of the media sources that
our students are viewing. A variety of resources for
talking with your child about making good media
choices (cyberbullying, internet safety, online
privacy, cell phone communication), as well as lists of
educational apps, games, and websites are also
available.
www.commonsensemedia.org
Media literacy is essential for 21st century
learners! Please drop by the library or contact me
via email if you would like more information about
accessing UG2GO, the UGCloud, or helping your child
to improve his/her media literacy skills.
Sheila Morgan
Teacher Librarian
sheila.morgan@ugdsb.on.ca
Library website:
https://sites.google.com/a/ugcloud.ca/khps-librarylearning-commons/
School Stuff
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!
Support Our Patrollers
Supply Lunchtime Supervisors Required
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.
We are in need of supply coverage over our lunch
hour for the position of Lunchtime Supervisor. This
is a paid position and would require you to be
available from 12:40pm to 1:40pm. Please direct all
enquiries to Mrs. Kowch, Vice Principal @ 519-8271601 x 224,
Bell Times
Notifying the School of a Student
Absence - Safe Arrival
Period 1
2
3
8:50 – 9:30
9:30 – 10:10
10:10 – 10:50
Nutrition Break
Recess
10:50 – 11:05
11:05 – 11:20
Period 4
5
11:20 – 12:00
12:00 – 12:40
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 staff’s 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.
Lunch
Recess
12:40 – 1:00
1:00 – 1:40
Forms
8:45 Intermediate Bell
8:50 Primary/Junior Bell
Period 6
7
1:40 – 2:40
2:40 – 3:20
Yard Duty Times:
The following are the times when our playground is
supervised by school staff.
8:30 - 8:50 a.m.
11:05 – 11:20 a.m.
1:00 - 1:40 p.m.
3:20 - 3:35 p.m.
Signing Out a Child from School
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.
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.
Visitor Sign In
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 Results
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.
Volunteers
The Upper Grand District School
Board has determined that any
adult working with children must
have a current police check. This
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.
You will be required to produce two
pieces of picture identification, i.e.
passport and a driver’s license. 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.
Student Picture Days
Personal student and class photos will be taken on
the following dates:
Tuesday, October 16th- whole school
Wednesday, October 17th - KA & KC
Medication at School
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.
Newsletters & Special Notices
every month.
Monthly school newsletters and special
notices will be posted on our school
website. Our newsletters
will be posted at the end of
www.ugdsb.on.ca/kortright.home.htm
Click on the “Newsletter” tab at the top of this page
to gain access.
From The Health Department
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 1-800-2657293 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.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph
Public Health
1-800-265-7293 |
www.wdgpublichealth.ca
From School Council
The Kortright Hills School Council is pleased to
offer Norcard for our Fall Fundraiser. The
fundraiser is currently underway. All proceeds from
the Fall Fundraiser go towards programs in the
school. Norcard orders must be in to the school by
Tuesday, October 9th.
We are also offering Mabel’s Labels as our ongoing
fundraising initiative. If you would like to purchase
labels as well as support your school, please visit our
website at www.kortrighthills.mabel.ca to place your
order.
As part of the Ministry of Education’s PRO (Parents
Reaching Out) Grant program, Kortright Hills School
Council will be hosting a Wellness Fair on
Wednesday, November 14th from 6:30-8:30. There
will be interactive displays for parents and students
that will detail some of the many community groups
and services that Guelph has to offer. Please mark it
on your calendar and be sure to come out for a fun
evening of door prizes, refreshments and community
spirit.
Food Programs will commence during the week of
October 1st.
Saturday, December 8th is the date for our annual
Christmas Family Fun Day. We’re looking forward to
celebrating the beginning of the holiday season with
our Kortright families.
On behalf of the School Council, staff and students
of Kortright we would like to send out a huge thank
you to Angela Krueger for spearheading the creation
of a Kinder”garden” in the Kindergarten area, as well
as all of the students, staff and families that helped
make it a reality. The plants have come along
wonderfully, and there have already been sightings
of butterflies.
The dates have been set for School Council meetings
for the rest of the year. All dates are on a Monday.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
October 22nd
February 25th
November 19th
December 17th
January 21st
March 25th
April 29th
June 17th
OCTOBER 2012
SUNDAY
MONDAY
1
7
8
14
15
21
TUESDAY
Day 5
THANKSGIVING
MONDAY – SCHOOL
IS CLOSED
22
Day 4
Day 4
WEDNESDAY
29
Day 3
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
2
Day 1
12:30 Intermediate
Cross Country Meet
3
Day 2
4
Day 3
5
Day 4
6
9
Day 5
10
Day 1
11
Day 2
12
Day 3
13
16
Day 5
17
Day 1
18
Day 2
19
Day 3
20
25
Day 2
1:45 VIP Gr 6’s
Drug Awareness
26
Picture Day
Whole School
9:00 Picture Day
Alternate Kindergarten
9:00 Gr. 8’s
Career Pathways
23
24
Mad Science
Day 5
Day 1
Author – Michael Wade
28
THURSDAY
30
Gr 3’s Trip to
Doon Heritage
Village
Day 4
31
Mad Science
Day 5
P.A. DAY
SCHOOL IS
CLOSED
27
EQAO Results
Below are Kortright’s results from the June, 2012 Grade 3 and Grade 6 EQAO assessments. These are very
impressive results, congratulations staff and students!
Grade 3
Province
Board
Kortright Hills
Reading
66
67
76
Writing
76
73
83
Math
68
67
88
Province
Board
Kortright Hills
Reading
75
76
88
Writing
74
71
90
Math
58
54
75
Grade 6