Waverley Drive Public School May 2013 Waverley Lions’ Pride Focus for May is“Determination” Principal Message It is with mixed emotions that I announce my transfer to James McQueen Public School in Fergus. After 5 fantastic years at Waverley I am moving on to a new assignment, but I will take away many fond memories from my time at Waverley. Blair Conrad from Priory Park Public School will be taking over as your new Principal. I have known Blair for over 15 years and I am thrilled to have him take over my duties. Please take the time in September to drop by and introduce yourself to Mr.Conrad. Meeting our families will be an important part of his transition to Waverley. Plan to join us during Education Week to celebrate the many great things happening at Waverley. On Thursday May 9th our primary students will be sharing their musical talents with our school community . The primary assembly will begin at 9:00a.m. Also, on Friday, May 10th at 9:00a.m. parents are invited to join us at our Lion’s Pride assembly. We are excited to have parents join us at both assemblies. As the year is quickly winding down, please do not hesitate in contacting me at school (519 824-7742) to answer any of your questions or concerns. Larry Lacey Principal Yard Sale Mr. Smith's class will be having a yard sale again this year. All money raised will go towards helping some students pay for their grade 6 camp. The sale will take place in Mr. Smith's room on Tuesday, May 7th to Thursday, May 9th from 8:30 - 11:30 am. If you have books, clothes, toys, stuffed animals etc. and you want to give them to a good cause please start bringing them into Mr. Smith's room. All things will be priced to go. Thanks for your support. Education Week Education Week takes place during the week of May 6-10, 2013. The Primary classes plan to celebrate in the school gym on Thursday, May 9, at 9:00 am by showcasing their musical talents for the school and for parents and families. The theme of our presentation is 'Music for Everyone". Each primary class will perform a song from a different genre of music. So whether you like Jazz, Country, Pop, Reggae or good 'ol Rock n' Roll, we are sure you will hear a song you will enjoy! Hope to see you there! May 6 Walking trip to Guelph for an Urban Geography project. Primary students having a member of Guelph Public Library in for a visit. All week, students will be working on mural, influenced by the Pop Art Movement from the 1950’s and 1960’s May 8 Scientist in the School for Structures, Stable and Strength May 9 Music for Everyone performance at 9 a.m. – parents invited. May 10 Lion’s Pride Assembly at 9 a.m. – parents invited. Following week…… May 14 Intermediate Gauss Math competition May 15 Digifest Film Festival, gifted classes May 16 Intermediate Track and Field Our JUNIOR DANCE WORKSHOP is scheduled for May 16 and 17 - in the gym from 10a.m. until 2:20p.m. each day. All junior students will be participating - parents may check with their children to see when their class is scheduled. It is being held in the week following Education Week as we need to use the gym and the gym is already in use during Education Week. Our dance instructor is Janet Johnson, comtemporary dancer and Founder and Artistic Director of the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival. She and her accompanist drummer give the kids a fantastic experience with rhythm, movement and creative expression. Junior teachers love it too! E.Q.A.O Provincial Testing Grades 3 and 6 Our school will be administering this test between May 27 and June 7 (more specific dates will be issued by our grade 3 and 6 teachers). We would ask parents of students in these grades not to schedule any appointments and trips during this time. If there are any questions or concerns, please address them to your child's teacher or to the office. The Waverley Worms Come Up For Spring! Thanks to all our amazing Compost Team kids from grades 5 and 6. The Neighbourhood Garden will be so happy to have all that rich compost spread on the soil. Our appreciation also goes out to Mr. Smith's class who keep the Blue Recycling Carts rolling during the week. We had an AMAZING tree planting day on April 26th. Moritz Sanio, from Trees for Guelph, arrived with a huge variety of trees and 2 teams of junior students (supervised by Ms. Apgar all day) and some grade 8 classes (with Mr. Caverly) helped to dig holes, mulch, plant and water the new seedlings and saplings. We are now creating a TREE STEWARD TEAM to help mulch, water and protect. They will be busy on Wednesday afternoons. The Community Garden is starting up again, coordinated by master vegetable grower, Mr. Ken Pilgrim. He invites students to come out and help prepare the soil and plant some seedlings that have been started in some of our classrooms. During the summer the community is invited to come and pick lettuce, spinach, peppers, tomatoes and whatever else is planted. Waverley Drive P.S. is a school full of Waverley Worms. You can see them outside, appreciating and learning about nature. You can see them recycling and composting. You can hear them encouraging their peers and the adults around them to take care of our earth. We love to see those parents who take time to use their own refillable coffee mugs! HAPPY SPRING! Waverley Worms Teachers S.Koop, M. Steele, S. Caverly, S. Pattinson, K. Evans, A. Perkins-Ellery, T. Nicholson, K. Stanson School Council Next School Council meeting is Wednesday, May 27. Please feel free to join us at 7:00 pm in the school library. Mark this date on your calendar! Grade 8 Graduation Grade 8 Graduation will take place Tuesday, June 25 at E.L. Fox Auditorium at John F. Ross. The ceremony begins at 6:30 pm. Graduates are asked to be there by 6 pm. A letter will go home end of May with more details. May 2013 Safe fun in the sun As the weather gets warmer, remember to stay safe in the sun. Before you and your child head outside, check the UV index on The Weather Network or Environment Canada websites. When you go outside, wear sunglasses, hat, and sunscreen (SPF of 15 or higher). And if the UV index is 6 or more (high), also stay in the shade. Keep in mind that babies and children burn more quickly from the sun. Sunscreen is not recommended for babies under 6 months old, but is safe to use on children. For more information about sun safety, visit Health Canada at www.healthcanada.gc.ca. Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health 1-800-265-7293 | www.wdgpublichealth.ca info@wdgpublichealth.ca Waverley Drive School Council May 2013 Principal: Larry Lacey Principal: Tara Topping Co-Chairs: Nancy Nicol and Penny Devries Treasurer: Rhonda Gatto Secretary: Lori Dewar Fundraising Chair: Sue Russell Communication Chairs: Lori Dewar Erika O’Krafka and Kathryn Selves School Council Meetings---Fun and informative! April 24, 2013 Meeting had Guest speakers, Brendan Johnson, Executive Director, Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition (GNSC) and Dan Evans, Neighbourhood Development Supervisor. They spoke to us about the supportive role GNSC's being more responsive to the growing and changing needs of neighbourhoods. They are the people that support the Neighbourhood group, with the funding from the City. They will be a more supportive and supervisory role for the neighbourhood groups. The plan is to combine ideas and resources to better all the Neighbourhood groups. You can contact Brendan if you have any questions: 226-979-1739 or brendan.johnson@guelphneighbourhoods.org Next month’s speaker-(May 27) Our 4G classroom teacher Ms. Jenn Apgar will introduce us to the UGDSB Cloud. We will have a chance to use the notebooks and ipads that the School council had provided and see what technologies our children are using in the school . Education week May 6-10 Learning for Tomorrow FUNdraising The final pita order will be out soon. The Family Fun Day /Garage Sale and Book Sale is on hold for this year The fundraising committee will meet this month to decide on fundraising for next year and for future monetary needs. The Primary Assembly is Thursday, May 9th @ 9:00 am. Come out and see the primary students perform. School Council will provide Coffee for the guests There will be no major fundraising through the School Council for the remainder of this school year