BRANT AVENUE PUBLIC
SCHOOL
64 Brant Avenue, Guelph, Ontario N1E 1G2
519-824-2671 Fax: 519-824-6159
Mair Ann Gault, Principal Raffella Alton, Office Co-ordinator
SEPTEMBER 2015
Welcome Back!
Dear Brant Parents and Guardians:
Once again this year I would like to take this opportunity to hear from you. Our school is a wonderful place to be and
your input helps us keep it that way! If you could take a moment to fill in the following survey and have your child
return it to his/her classroom teacher by September 11, 2015, I would really appreciate it. The
classroom teacher will return the survey to me for reading.
Thank you! Mrs. Gault  (Brant Ave. P.S. Principal)
1) What is great about Brant Avenue Public School? (Feel free to be specific.)
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2) Name one thing you would love to see happen at Brant Avenue Public School. Is there anything
you would like to do to help support this change?
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3) Is there anything else you would like me to know?
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School Day
8:55 - 9:35
9:35 - 10:15
10:15 - 10:55
10:55 - 11:35
11:35 - 12:05
12:05 - 12:35
12:35 - 1:15
1:15 - 1:55
1:55 - 2:35
2:35 - 3:15
Period 1
Period 2
Period 3
First Nutrition Break
Period 4
Period 5
Period 6
Second Nutrition Break
Period 7
Period 8
School Staff
- 2015-2016
KA
KB
Grade 1
Grade 1/2
Grade 2/3
Grade 3
Grade 3/4
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 5/6
Library
Planning
Mrs. Dodsworth-Garvey
Mrs. Bond
Mrs. Pye-Clifford
Mrs. Anderson
Ms. Masters - LTO for Mrs.Dyer
Mr. Foote
Mr. Graham/ Ms. James
Mrs. Lundall
Ms. Gojmerac
Mrs. Licastro/ Ms. James
Mrs. Licastro
Ms. Moyer
Ms. Heasman
Resource
Mrs. Mitchell
Mrs. Moyer
Core French
Education Assistants
ECE
CYC
Custodians
Office Co-ordinato r
Principal
Mme. Gill
Ms. Leyland
Ms. Shelleau
Ms. Nicholson
Ms. Sommerville
Ms. deVries
Ms. Snook
Mrs. Marx
Ms. Zorzi
Mrs. Fonte
Mr. Schenk
LTO for Mrs. Alton
Mrs. Gault
Forms Coming Home
A number of important forms are coming home along with this newsletter. Please ensure
that you read them carefully! If you have any questions regarding these forms, please
contact the school office.
Please complete and return these forms to your child‟s teacher no later than Friday,
September 11th.
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Student Verification Form – please make any changes directly onto the form and
sign the bottom
Community Walk Permission Form
Freedom of Information Letter and Consent to Share Personal Information
We have also included for your information re: school organizations which includes the
Ministry of Education Parameters and a School Calendar for the 2015-2016 school year.
Milk and Pizza Order Forms will follow later this month.
Volunteers Forms
We truly value the volunteers in our school. Parents and community members are
encouraged to help in the classroom and on school trips, assist in the library or with
extra-curricular activities and participate on the School Council. Please be sure to pick up
a volunteer form from the office.
Being a volunteer is a wonderful way of participating in your child’s education.
VisitorsTo Our 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/volunteer badge before proceeding to classrooms or onto the yard.
Picking up Students From School
To ensure student safety, if you are taking your child from the school during the school
day, you must come to the office and sign your child out after talking to the secretary.
This will assist us in ensuring the safety of your child.
Home Safe
After being dismissed from class at the end of the day, students are requested to go
directly home or to a caregiver before proceeding to other activities.
Safety First
During the school day, your child‟s safety is of the utmost importance to us. It is
imperative that you call the office before 8:50 am if your child is going to be absent
or late. For your convenience, we also have voice mail which allows you to contact the
school at anytime during the night, over the weekends and early in the morning. The
phone number is 519-824-2671. When you leave a message, please be sure to note the
child‟s full name, teacher and reason for absence.
If a child is absent and we have not heard from a parent/guardian, we will attempt to
contact the parent/guardian to ensure that the child is “safe”. If a parent can not be
reached, we will contact the emergency number provided.
It is very important to let the school know if there is any change in personal information:
home or work numbers, cell numbers, address changes etc. In the event of an
unexplained absence or emergency, we will then be able to contact your immediately.
If your child‟s dismissal arrangements change in any way, please send a note in the
morning. It is extremely busy in the office at the end of the day, and messages left on the
machine may not be retrieved in time to pass onto the teacher.
Agendas
Once again all students will be receiving a school agenda. The agenda is an important
organizational and communication tool for the student, and provides excellent
communication between home and school. The cost is $4.00 for each agenda. Please
send the money to your child’s classroom teacher.
Brant Avenue School Dress Code
At Brant Ave we promote a respectful and professional student image. Appropriate
dress is defined as attire that is free of symbols of hate, gang membership or images that
portray violence, death, abuse, cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, racial slurs, obscene words
and political or sexual statements explicitly or by implication.
Clothing that is revealing and shows an excessive amount of skin such as muscle shirts,
low scooped necklines, tops with spaghetti straps, bare midriffs and open backs are
unacceptable. Shirts must not be excessively tight. Shorts and skirts must be longer
than finger tip length on the legs. Undergarments should not be visible. Hats must be
removed upon entering the school.
Lates
The curriculum is rich and extensive so teachers need to use every period to enable
students to learn all they can. Lessons need to start on time. Late students disturb the
lesson flow, because teachers have to re-teach to ensure the late student is brought
up-to-date. The consequence increases to the class when students are repeatedly late
for class. Please help by getting your children to school on time. Everyone benefits!
Bus Behaviour
Students are expected to follow the rules of the bus, listen to the driver, remain in their
seats, refrain from eating and drinking anything while on the bus, and follow the directions
of the bus patrols when entering or exiting the bus.
School Handbook
For more information concerning school policies and procedures please refer to the
school website where you will find the updated school handbook. The address is:
http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/brantave/index.aspx
(Just look to the left of the screen to click on the “School Handbook” link.)
Safety Patrols
Student patrols are on duty for fifteen minutes before classes begin and after classes end.
Patrol Time: 8:40 - 8:55 am
3:15 - 3:30 pm
Allergies
Many students suffer daily from allergies. Reactions to allergic substances vary from
relatively mild irritations to potentially fatal conditions where the sufferer experiences
breathing problems and/or anaphylactic shock. As a result, we are asking students to
not bring any products containing tree nuts, peanuts or WOW butter to school.
Please be aware that there may be additional restrictions in your child‟s class to protect a
student with other such allergies. We ask that you abide by any restrictions that may be
imposed in these cases.
Parents of students with potentially life threatening allergies are asked to inform the
office.
Child and Youth Counselor
Mrs. Fonte will be here Monday to Friday afternoons.
Mrs. Fonte can be reached at 519-824-2671 ext. 227.
The Child and Youth Counselor‟s role is to support students, staff and parents. Some of
the topics include social skills development, anger management, bereavement, family
separation or divorce, self-esteem, conflict between friends, bullying, anxiety and family
issues. Support for the students will be focused on social, emotional and behavioural
concerns. Support can be individual, classroom or group.
Student Accident Insurance
Parents or guardians are responsible for expenses related to student injuries on school
premises during school activities. Accidents can and do happen and the costs involved
might 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.
Information will be sent home early in September with respect to Student Accident
Insurance offered by Reliable Life Insurance Company. You should receive the
Director’s letter, an Acknowledgment to be signed by parents (and returned to the
school) and a Student Accident Insurance application form (to be mailed directly to
Reliable Life). Please do not return your application to the school office. Reliable Life
Insurance Company offers a variety of options, including family rates and multi-year
plans, at affordable prices. The cost must be paid by the parents or guardians.
Subscription is directly through Reliable Life by mail or on line. Questions should be
directed to Reliable Life at 1-800-463-5437 or www.insuremykids.com.
For today‟s active children, especially those who participate in field trips, co-curricular and
other school activities outside the school day, Student Accident Insurance is valuable.
You can find additional information on the Board’s website at www.ugdsb.on.ca.
New Health and Physical Education Curriculum
In September the new Health and Physical Education curriculum will be fully 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 document as a whole aims to educate
children to understand themselves and others, think critically to make healthy choices,
develop and maintain healthy relationships, be safe physically and emotionally, and to be
physically active for life. The curriculum is available on the Ministry of Education‟s
website.
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.
As mentioned above, Human Development and Sexual Health is one sub-component of
the curriculum. The document also focuses on skills related to Active Living, which
involves 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.
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Student Support and Program Services Department
Do you believe that all children can excel in mathematics?
Do you believe that children are born with the math gene?
Do you believe that children can suffer from math anxiety?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then please take a moment and continue reading.
This year our work in math will continue to focus on helping your children understand that math is
about learning, not performing. Research indicates that every time any one of us makes a mistake
in math our brains grow and connections are made1. We need to help our children understand that
making mistakes is not a „bad‟ thing. Making mistakes is how we understand and get better at
math.
At school, we want to help your children understand that math is about problem solving, reasoning
and proving, making connections, communicating their thinking and persisting when tasks are
challenging. We want to help them adopt an “I Can do Math” attitude.
In order for this to happen, we need to teach math differently than the way many of us were
taught. No longer is the teacher robotically demonstrating mathematical methods that your
children don‟t understand or care about.
Sebastian Thru, CEO of Udacity, says that we do not and cannot know what mathematics
students will need in the future. The best preparation we can give them is to teach them to be
quantitatively literate, think flexibility and creatively and pre-solve and use intuition as they
develop mathematical ideas2. Math is about so much more than plugging numbers into a formula.
Math is about children actively engaging with the problems, so that they understand how math is
used in their own life. We need to teach our children to use mathematics in the world they will live
in now and tomorrow. We‟re not sure what that world will look like, although we do know that it
will be different from the world we grew up in. We also know that we want our students to love
math and say with confidence “I can do math”. As parents we think you want that too!
For ideas to support your children in math go to www.YouCubed.org
UGDSB Curriculum Department
1. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education 7, no.1 , January 2012
2. What‟s Math Got to Do With It, Jo Boaler, 2015
Dates to Remember
September 23
School Pictures
September 24
Open House Time TBA
September 25
Terry Fox Walk – 2:00pm - Wear Blue and White
October 12
Thanksgiving Holiday – NO SCHOOL
October 30
Ministry Mandated Day/NO SCHOOL
From Brant Healthy Living Peer Leaders:
Recruiting Brant Healthy Living Peer Leaders! Help us plan and offer programs for
family and community health. Examples include: Zumba, Community Gardening, Brant
Family Chefs. Contact Peggy at 821-6638 ext. 367 or pnickels@guelphchc.ca
Brant Zumba – Dance your way to fitness with Val at free drop-in Zumba at Brant
School! Tuesday nights, 6:30-7:30 pm., starting September 22. Offered by Brant
Healthy Living Peer Leaders. For more information, contact Peggy at 821-6638 ext. 367
orpnickels@guelphchc.ca.
Brant Yoga – Come out to our free weekly drop-in Yoga Program, Monday nights,
Brant School, 6:15-7:15 pm. Starting in the gym Monday September 21. Offered by
Guelph Community Health Centre. Contact Peggy at 821-6638 3st. 367
or pnickels@guelphchc.ca