BRANT AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL
January, 2015
Mair Ann Gault, Principal
Selecting tools and strategies
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Welcome Back! I hope you all had a restful and
happy holiday! As part of our school
improvement plan we will be continuing to teach
our Brant students conceptual understanding of
mathematics by teaching through problem
solving. Below is an article written by Patricia
Josephson from the Curriculum Department of
the Board office about mathematics as a way of
thinking. I shared this article last year, but it bears
repeating. Enjoy.
Mrs. Gault, Principal
Will you need to add, subtract, divide or
multiply?
What tools or technology would help
you?
Representing (Showing the work)
• How are you going to show your ideas?
(graphs, numbers, words and symbols)
Reasoning (Making sense)
•
Does your answer make sense? If not,
do you need to fix or change something?
Communicating (Sharing it with others)
•
MATHEMATICS as a way of thinking
How can you explain your answer in
writing?
Reflecting (Making it personal)
In the last few years, there has been some
confusion around the “new” way of doing math.
It is important to note that today’s math includes
all the same mathematical concepts and facts as
the “traditional” math, the only real difference is in
the way students learn this information. Today’s
math focuses on understanding math ideas by
encouraging discovery and exploration through
problem solving.
•
What worked and what did not? Why?
Connections (Seeing relationships)
•
Does this problem remind you of
anything
SECRET SANTA GUELPH
In our math curriculum, there are 7 mathematical
processes: problem solving, selecting tools
and computational strategies, reasoning and
proving,
representing,
communicating,
reflecting and connecting The goal of these
processes is to help students become more
confident problem solvers.
Below you will find the processes broken down
into questions. These questions are meant to be
used as coaching tools to help students with their
mathematical thinking. Try them at home. You
may be surprised by the answers!
Solving the Problem
•
What is the question and what do you
need to do?
A special thank you to Bang Ly, a former alumni of
Brant, organized a fun fundraisier and raised over
$8000 for our Food and Friends Program and over
$5000 for the Food Program at the Brant
Neighbourhood Group. We are overwhelmed by his
support and the kindness of our friends in the Guelph
community.
IS CONFLICT THE SAME AS BULLYING?
People may sometimes confuse conflict with bullying,
but they are different. Conflict occurs between two or
more people who have a disagreement, a difference of
opinion or different views. Conflict between students
does not always mean it’s bullying. Children learn at a
young age to understand that others can have a
different perspective than their own, but developing the
ability to gain perspective takes time and the process
continues into early adulthood. In conflict, each person
feels comfortable expressing his or her views, and
there is no power imbalance. Each person feels able to
state his or her view point. How people deal with
conflict can make it positive or negative. Conflict
becomes negative when an individual behaves
aggressively by saying or doing hurtful things. Then
the conflict is an aggressive interaction. Conflict only
becomes bullying when it is repeated over and over
again and there is a power imbalance. Over time, a
pattern of behaviour may emerge where the person
who behaves aggressively in the conflict may continue
or even make it worse. The person who is the recipient
of the aggressive conflict may feel less and less able to
express his or her point of view and feel more and
more powerless. That is when negative conflict may
turn into bullying. - Taken from Ministry of Education
parent pamphlet concerning bullying.
LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!
Winter is fully upon us and therefore this is a good time
to send out a reminder about winter recess
expectations. Please ensure your child comes to
school with the appropriate winter clothing, including a
coat, snowpants, hat, mitts and boots, etc. Extra
socks and mittens are recommended. This is also the
time we remind students about the “no one owns the
snow, so share when building snow forts and
snowmen”. Of all the rules, however, the most
serious one is outlined below:
NO THROWING OF SNOW, ICE OR SNOWBALLS!
This rule is in place at all schools to maintain the safety
of all students. We want to encourage safe and fun
play this winter at Brant Avenue Public School.
SAFETY REMINDER
BUS/TAXI CANCELLATIONS
Parents, Guardians and all students, please remember
to always cross with the safety patrols when they are
on duty before and after school for the safety of all.
Additionally, please obey all parking signs that are
posted. If parking signs are not obeyed, people
crossing the street do not have a clear view of cars
approaching the crosswalk. Finally, please do not
enter the parking lot before and after school when
the pylons are in place. Thanks so much for all you
do to keep our students safe.
During times of inclement weather, please listen to our
local radio stations: 1460 AM CJOY; 106.1 Magic FM
for school transportation cnacellations. Information
on bus/taxi cancellations and school closures are also
posted on the Upper Grand District School Board’s
website:
INDOOR & OUTDOOR SHOES REQUIRED
Please make sure your children have indoor shoes
available at school for gym and in class. Boots are
only to be worn outside. Not only is it unhealthy and
dangerous for students to walk around the floors of the
school in socks, students will not have a chance to
change into their footwear if there is a fire alarm or drill.
Thank you for helping with this.
CONTACT INFORMATION/SAFE ARRIVAL
In September you were asked to update contact
information on your child’s admission sheet. I am
finding that as I make daily phone calls many of the
contact numbers are either now out of service or
people are not employed at the original number given
to the school. This outdated information makes it very
hard to have a safe arrival program. Please call the
school office at 519-824-2671 or send in a note with
any change of information. If there is any type of
emergency I may not be able to reach you.
Also, a friendly reminder to call in your child’s absence
to the attendance line 519-824-2671 ext 100. Each
day we need to make a large number of calls to verify
that your child is safe. This line is available day and
night.
Thank you for your support. Mrs. Alton
http://www.stwdsts.ca/
If your child(ren) regularly travel by bus, parents do not
need to inform the school of your child’s absence when
buses are cancelled. If however, your child(ren) walk
to school, you are asked to leave a message on the 24
hour attendance line (519-824-2671 ext. 100) for any
absence or late arrival.
Please note: on days
when buses/taxis are cancelled, unless otherwise
informed, the school will be open and a regular
school program will be offered. Also, if parents of
bus students drive their child(ren) in the
morning, they must also be picked up at 3:15 pm.
SCHOOL CONCERT
We had a wonderful concert on Thursday, December
11th and want to extend a very special thank you to the
staff for organizing such a great concert! The
students did an incredible job.
JUNIOR AND SENIOR KINDERGARTEN
REGISTRATION
Please contact the office at 519-824-2671 if you have a
child, or know of a child, who will be turning four on or
before December 31, 2015 for Junior Kindergarten or
five on or before December 31, 2015 for Senior
Kindergarten. Registration will be held on Monday,
February 2nd – Friday, February 6th from 9:30 –
11:15 am and 1:00 – 3:00 pm. If your child is already
attend kindergarten at Brant, you do not need to
register them again. If you are not able to come to the
school during these times, please contact the school
office to make alternate arrangements.
SCHOOL COUNCIL UPDATE
Our next meeting will be on Thursday, January 22 at
6:30pm in the school library. Please join us if you
can, new members are always welcome!
SAVE WATER!
– JANUARY’S ENVIRONMENTAL MESSAGE
In terms of environmental awareness, you should
know that water is our most precious resource. Over
70% of our Earth's surface is covered by water (we
should really call our planet "Ocean" instead of
"Earth"). Although water is seemingly abundant, the
amount of fresh water available for us to drink is only
3%. The message we need to learn is that, as the
population of the Earth increases, we need to be very
careful to not pollute our water sources and to use it
very wisely.
We all can make a difference in protecting our most
precious resource – water. Water conservation is a big
challenge, but every little bit helps, so don't think that
what you do doesn't matter. Demonstrate your
reliability in conserving water by using the following
ideas: Turn off the tap when brushing your
teeth. Install water-saving devices such as low-flow
showerheads and toilet dams or low-flush toilets.
Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you'll save
up to 500 liters per month. Use a broom instead of a
hose to clean your driveway. Wash your cars and bikes
with a bucket of water and sponge, instead of a hose
that wastes around 15 litres of water per minute if left
running. Use a rain barrel to collect rain water to water
your plants instead of using precious tap water. It’s OK
to let your lawn go dormant during the summer and let
the rain water it naturally. Water conservation needs to
be a way of life, not just something we think about once
in a while. If we all do our part in conserving water, we
can make a huge difference for the environment.
TRANSITIONS AND TRANSITION PLANNING
While it may feel like it is early in the year to think about
transitioning to the next school year, many plans are
well underway to ensure that students have a
successful transition. For students that are changing
schools, such as Grade 6’s moving to Waverley P.S.
planning for successful transitions will begin early in
the spring. Such transitions can be very stressful for
students, just as it can be stressful for adults to move
houses or change jobs. With careful planning and a
collaborative approach toward supporting the
transition, this stress can be minimized.
New requirements from the Ministry of Education came
into effect in September 2014 requiring all students
with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) to have a
transition plan. This plan includes goals and actions
to meet each goal, and considers the strengths and
needs of the student. Some goals may address
smaller transitions throughout the day, such as moving
from recess to the classroom or from one activity to
another, or larger transitions, such as moving from one
school year to the next, or from one school to another.
For many students, the supports provided to the whole
class are all they need to have a successful transition,
which means they may not need a specific transition
plan goal and actions on their IEP at this time.
However, for students that have challenges with
transitions -- large or small -- a plan should be in place.
When planning for any transition, the student’s
physical, emotional, and learning needs are
considered. As a parent, your collaboration with the
school team is crucial to make sure that the needs of
your child are fully understood, and that actions taken
at home and at school will ensure a successful
transition. Physical needs, such as changes made to
a washroom for a student in a wheelchair, may be part
of a plan, just as visits and pictures of a new school
may be helpful meeting the emotional needs of a child.
A student’s current teacher will also share successful
strategies and accommodations with next year’s
teacher, this will help the new teacher prepare for the
learning needs of the student.
As a parent, you can play an important role in transition
planning for your child, you know your child best.
Whether planning for next year's new classroom, or for
a new school, working together with school staff to
provide visits to the new school, talking about the
transition in a positive way, and looking at pictures of
the new teachers and building may give the
reassurance that your child needs. Preparation is
crucial for transitions to be successful, and a team
approach between home and school is key.
More information about transition planning from the
Ministry of Education is available. The new rules for
transition planning for students with special education
needs can be found at:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/ppm156.pdf.
The Ministry also has a resource guide for transition
plans with a focus for secondary students available at
the following link:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/spece
d/transiti/transition.pdf
FREE STORM TICKETS!!!!
Brant Ave PS has been given storm tickets on behalf of Bobby
O’Briens Irish Pub through the Guelph Storm Adopt-A-School
program. For reading the newsletter you now have a chance at
winning 4 tickets to the date you sign up for!
Section 113 Row 7 Seats 3-6.
AND
Section 106 Row 4 Seats 103-106
Please hand in the bottom half of this page to the office and the
date you are able to attend. There will be one draw for every week
in the month for your chance to win. So keep reading the
newsletters!
* Parents will be asked to fill in a thank you
form if your family is picked*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tear off this section
Students Name:
I am available: (check off any dates you are available )
Friday, January 09th, against Mississauga _______
Sunday, January 11th, against Kitchener _______
Sunday, January 18th, against Kingston _______
Friday, January 23rd, against Erie _______
Sunday, January 25th, against SS Marie _____
Friday, January 30th, against London ______
Must be handed into the office no later than January 9th
~ January 2015 ~
Sun
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Mon
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Student Return
to School
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
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Grade 6 VIP
10:00
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Duffle bag
theatrebeauty and the
beast gym
9:45-10:45
Milk Orders
DUE
$2
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PIZZA
ORDERS
DUE
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NOTES:
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Round 2 of Dental
Varnish – Fluoride
application
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PA DAY – NO
SCHOOL
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Beach Day
- Assembly
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