BRANT AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL
64 Brant Avenue, Guelph, Ontario. N1E 1G2
519-824-2671
Fax: 519-824-6159
Mair Ann Gault, Principal
Renate Smith, Office Co-ordinator
APRIL 2014
As I write this letter, I am trying to remain
positive that spring will eventually show up and
once again we will be able to shed our heavy
winter coats and frolic in the sunshine! Hope
springs eternal!
I wanted to take a moment, during a sleet
driven day, to talk about our school goal around
parent engagement.
Last year, we decided as a school community
that we would consciously focus on making sure
Brant is the type of school that is inviting to all
members of our school community and that
parents in particular feel welcome and feel that
they have an important role to play in their
children’s education.
We have gone a long way toward the
achievement of this goal! Two years ago the
School Council Team consisted of two parents
who attended regularly. This year we have had
an average attendance of nine people at every
meeting! And these parents are getting things
done! Last year, they managed to raise enough
money to build a climber on the school
property. This year, they have raised enough to
pay for repairs into the future for the climber,
funded a special African Dance Workshop for all
the children in the school (with a parent
presentation to follow in the spring), bought
buttons celebrating our school motto (“At Brant
Ave. P.S. we treat others the way we like to be
treated.” ) for every child in our building,
invested in an improved sound system for our
school, run movie nights and helped pay for a
fun, family event that will run next Fall. (More
information about that to follow.)
We also have a larger number of parent
volunteers helping in our school, particularly
with our snack program which runs four
mornings a week. Without these parent
volunteers buying groceries, cutting fruit,
delivering food, the healthy snack program
would not run.
Additionally, attendance to school events has
been fantastic! We had an estimated 450
people attend our Open House Breakfast in
September, 80 – 90 people attend our movie
night, 45 families attended our Math Games
Night, and our Holiday Assembly had standing
room only.
When our families get involved in our school,
the students feel more excited and engaged
with their education.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for
volunteering, coming to School Council, and
attending events. We have a wonderful, happy,
energetic little school and that is because of the
involvement of people like you!
Sincerely,
Mair Ann Gault
Principal
Speak Up For The Brant
Hub!!!!
Join your Brant Avenue
Neighbourhood friends and
neighbours at City Hall on April 9th
at 5:00 p.m. The Brant
Neighbourhood Group and Friends
are making a presentation to the
Community and Social Services
Committee to have them support
building a new Brant community
service hub on city property. Come
and show your support! Rides can be
provided. Call Lynne at the Friendship
Place/ Brant Neighbourhood Group
519 821-9243 if they can help you get
to the meeting.
MOVING
Planning for the 2014-2015 school year is
underway. If you will be moving this summer,
or know of someone moving into the school
area, please notify the school office as soon as
possible. This will help with the organization of
teachers and classrooms at Brant.
“WHEELS” AT SCHOOL
Several students have begun riding their
bicycles to school. Please make sure that your
children have reviewed
bicycle safety rules, are
wearing their helmets
and have locks to use at
the bike racks. Students
should walk their bikes
while on school property.
Just a reminder that the only ‘wheels’ allowed
on school property are on bikes. Scooters,
skateboards, ‘Heelies’ and roller blades need to
be left at home, as per School Board policy.
NEIGHBOURHOOD GROUP SNACK PROGRAM
The Neighbourhood Group is offering extra
school snacks for school aged children JK-12.
Families in the BRANT AREA are able to access
the snack program twice monthly Tuesday,
Wednesday or Thursday from 1-3 pm. School
snacks include fresh fruits and vegetables,
yogurt, cheese, and grain products. Please call
or drop by Friendship Place for more
information. If you are interested in helping
with the snack program, please let us know at
519-821-9243.
Sometimes parents don’t know what to prepare
that would be safe in a lunch. It is particularly
challenging in schools where there are several
life threatening allergies. Eat Right Ontario
provides free access to a Registered Dietician
who may be helpful in these situations. They
are very familiar with allergies, Sabrina’s Law
and PPM 150. They even have budget friendly
resources. To speak to a dietician, call 1-877510-5102 or visit the Eat Right Ontario website
at www.eatrightontario.ca.
JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN
We continue to register children for our
September, 2014 Kindergarten classes. If you
have a child who will turn 4 (Junior
Kindergarten) or 5 (Senior Kindergarten) on or
before December 31st please call the school.
SNACK PROGRAM
Our snack program continues to
run daily for those who need a
healthy snack throughout the
day. Healthy food donations
such as fruit cups, apple sauce
and peanut free granola bars are
always welcome. Please see
Amy Fonte for more information.
INFORMATION UPDATES
Have you changed your home phone number or
work location recently? This is just a reminder
to please inform the office (824-2671) of any
changes in your information i.e. telephone
number, place of work, emergency number,
babysitter, etc. It is important that we keep this
information up to date so that we are able to
contact you if necessary.
EQAO DATES
The EQAO tests will be administered this year
from May 26th – June 5th. Please plan to ensure
your child is present during this time frame.
BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM
High self-esteem helps children cope with
challenges in school and beyond. You can’t
bestow self-esteem on your child, but you can
nurture its three key elements:
1. Acceptance. Tell your child you love
him/her all the time, not just when he/she
is good or successful. Compliment your
child more and criticize less. Help your child
develop friendships and social skills.
2. Confidence. Emphasize his/her strengths.
Accept, don’t dwell on weaknesses. Point
out the progress made and make him/her
see that their actions do make a difference.
3. A sense of purpose. Help your child to set
attainable goals. Be positive about his/her
ability to succeed. Help your child see that
he/she can overcome difficulties. Provide
incentives and rewards.
CROSSWALK AND SCHOOL SAFETY
Please ensure safety by not stopping at
the crosswalks when dropping off or
picking up your child. Please do not drive
into the parking lot. Keep our kids safe!
GRADE 3 AND GRADE 5 SHARK SWIMMING
Our Grade 3 and Grade 5 students will be
participating in YMCA-YWCA Lifesaving Society’s
“Swim to Survive” Shark Program. This program
provides training for three
essential skills needed to survive an
unexpected fall into water: roll into deep water,
tread water for 1 minute, and swim for 50
meters. This is a wonderful chance to learn
more about swimming or get introduced to
water in a safe way and provide some essential
life and safety skills. We would like to thank the
Ministries of Education and Health Promotion
for supporting and funding this initiative, in
order to provide the program free of charge.
DISMISSAL
Just a reminder to
parents that school dismisses at 3:15 pm.
Students are expected to be picked up by 3:15
pm. Unfortunately, staff are busy with
preparations for the next day, meetings etc. and
cannot supervise children after 3:15 pm. Your
support with this matter would be greatly
appreciated.
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.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
1-800-265-7293 www.wdgpublichealth.ca
info@wdgpublichealth.ca
WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS
The seventh annual World Autism Awareness
Day is April 2, 2014. Every year autism
organizations around the world celebrate the
day with unique fundraising and awareness
raising events. By bringing together autism
organizations all around the world, we will give
a voice to the millions of individuals worldwide
who are undiagnosed, misunderstood and
looking for help. Please join Upper Grand
District School Board in our effort to inspire
compassion, empowerment and hope by
wearing BLUE on Wednesday April 2nd 2014.
TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
Helping Your Family Deal with Stress and
Anxiety
Everyone experiences stress during their daily
lives and there are times in our lives when we
feel anxious. This is normal. It happens to all of
us. However, some of us and some of our
children/youth are anxious more of the time
and to a greater degree and this can be
challenging for the children, youth and their
families.
The good news is that there a lot of positive
things that you can do as parents to help reduce
the stress and anxiety that you and your
child/youth feel. Here are some tips!
Listen: Take time to listen to your child/youth’s
thoughts and feelings. Being heard is very
important and can make someone feel less
distressed by talking about it.
Talk: Let your child/youth know that they are
not alone. Lots of people feel stressed and
anxious. It is normal, harmless and temporary.
Share: You as a parent experience fear, stress
and anxiety. Model how you cope with stressful
situations with positive coping strategies.
Support: Let your child/youth know that you
care and support them as they struggle with
stress and anxiety.
Practice: Practice calming strategies with your
child/youth when they are calm. Practice every
day so calming becomes a habit.
Encourage: When stress arises, encourage your
child/youth to use their calming strategies.
Praise your child/youth for using their calming
strategies.
Model: Be a good role model for your
child/youth. Create a positive, predictable
environment at home. Use your own coping
strategies. Allow your children to observe how
you face and deal with stress in a positive way.
You are the single most important influence in
your child’s life.
Here are a couple of calming techniques that
you can practice with your child/youth:
1. Calm Breaths. When we are anxious we
breathe faster, which actually makes us
more anxious. By calming our breath we
are sending signals to our brains and
bodies that things are going to be OK.
Take slow deep breaths.
Breathe in through the nose and out
through the mouth.
For younger children they can blow
bubbles or pretend to.
For older children/youth guide, they can
imagine breathing in calm and
breathing out worries or tension.
Keep taking calm breaths until the
breath is smooth, deep and calm.
Have the child/youth notice what it
feels like to be calm.
2. Muscle relaxation. When we are
anxious, our bodies become tense. By
relaxing our bodies, we are sending
signals to our bodies and our brains that
it is going to be OK.
Sit or lie down.
Tighten up one part of your body (e.g.
your legs).
Hold the tension for 10 seconds.
Relax your body.
Allow the tension and tightness to drain
away.
Repeat tightening and releasing
different parts of the body.
Tighten your whole body, hold for 10
seconds then release.
Lie or sit for a moment allowing your
body to be totally relaxed.
Have your child/youth notice what it
feels like when their body is relaxed.
Hope these tips are helpful. The best thing that
you can do is practice relaxation techniques
every day with your family to build coping skills
and to have calmer, happier children, youth and
families. Enjoy!
For more information:
http://anxietybc.com/parent/index.php
http://www.mindyourmind.ca/wellness
For children and youth:
KidsHelpPhone.ca 1 800 668 6868
24 hour phone line and website for children and
youth.
If you are concerned that your child/youth is
experiencing excessive anxiety, you can talk
with your school or community mental health
provider:
CMHA WWD: 1 844 HERE 24 7 (1 844 437 3247)
For Guelph/Wellington Children and Youth
Services and Guelph/Wellington/Dufferin Adult
Services
DCAFS: 519-941-1530 for Dufferin Children and
Youth Services
May 4-11, 2014 is Child and Youth Mental
Health Week. Next time I will share some
information and activities that are coming to
your schools and communities.
Dr. Lynn Woodford, Psychologist, is the Mental
Health and Addiction Lead for the Upper Grand
District School Board.
EARTH DAY 2014
Connie Bender
Elementary Curriculum Leader
Earth Day is just around the corner! April 22nd
has been recognized as Earth Day since the
early 1970’s and was originally created to
highlight the need for all of us to be involved
with environmental protection.
Although many of our communities organize
neighbourhood clean-ups and earth friendly
activities for us to participate in on Earth Day,
more and more schools are trying to make the
environment a focus in the day to day lives of
students and staff.
As part of our Earth Week celebration we will
be having a school assembly and starting an
environment club where students will actively
engage in things like litterless lunches, reuseable water bottle campaigns and reducing
landfill waste. Parents can help by supporting
students in their participation in these
initiatives and by modelling environmentally
conscious actions at home. Having
conversations with your children about your
choices and actions are a great opportunity for
them to understand how important we are to
the environment. By supporting our children to
grow up green, we are helping to create a more
sustainable future.
NEW SPEED LIMITS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ZONES
The City of Guelph is implementing reduced
speed limits in elementary school zones across
the city:
•
•
40 km/h speed limits on arterial roads,
in effect on school days from 8-9 a.m.
and 3-4 p.m.
30 km/h speed limits on collector and
local roads, which will be in effect at all
times.
The elementary school zones will be created on
the street the school is “addressed” on. Sign
installation will begin in April, and is scheduled
to be completed by the end of May 2014.
Once a sign has been installed and unveiled, the
speed zone is in effect and will be enforceable
by Guelph Police Service.
Please keep an eye out for the new signs and
obey speed limits in our school zones. Let’s all
work together to ensure a safe walking
environment for students, parents, crossing
guards, pedestrians, and cyclists.
For more information
guelph.ca
BONJOUR!
Je m'appelle Mlle Kring. My name is Ms
Kring and I will be taking over the Core French
program while Mme Gill is away. It is my
absolute pleasure to be at Brant Ave and I look
forward to meeting you all! Many faces and
smiles have made my transition to Brant very
welcoming and I wanted to take a moment to
say “thank you” to everyone. I came from a
short period at Willow and prior to that from
the Waterloo Regional District School Board.
I've found a few helpful hints that I
would like to share with you that can help assist
with the French program, I'm sure there are
many more so please feel free to share them
with me! Here are a few simple tricks:
–
talking about what was discussed in
French class each day,
–
reading a story together in French, even
if you don't know what it means, ask questions
and wonder,
–
sit together and watch tv, movies or
listen to music in French,
–
encourage your child to play games in
French (there are a number of free web-based
games and I have created a link on the
classroom website),
–
read labels of products at home and at
the store,
–
notice French signs and labels in the
world around you.
Being interested and aware of French in the
world around us makes learning French in
school much more real and meaningful! As I
have said there are many free French resources
available for a wide variety of abilities from the
classroom and online. Check frequently for
updates and new games as they are added.
Http://flskrin6390mylaurier.weebly.com.
Here's to a wonderful, fun-filled French year!
Mlle Kring
TWO FOR TWO IS WHAT YOU DO!
Brushing your teeth two times a day for two
minutes each time helps prevent cavities.
If you don’t have dental insurance and can’t
afford care, we have free dental services for
your children at Public Health. At our dental
clinics, we provide free cleanings for children.
We can help children with cavities and other
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
SPECIAL EDUCATION SURVEY
Does your child have an IEP? If so the Special
Education Department would like your feedback
about special education supports and services.
A survey for parents will be posted on the
Upper Grand District School Board website from
April 14- April 30th. This survey is for parents
who have children at the Upper Grand District
School Board with Individual Education Plans
(IEPs). The information from the survey will be
used to help in the planning of special
education supports and services.
Responses will be kept as confidential and used
in summary reports. Thank you for watching for
this.
BE A SOCIAL ACTIVIST! –HELP US RAISE
MONEY FOR LESOTHO
Over the month of April we will be raising
money for the Bracelet of Hope Foundation,
which raises money to help people fight the
AIDS virus in the small, African country of
Lesotho. Lesotho is heavily impacted by the
AIDS virus and many children are orphans.
Learning about these issues and brainstorming
how we can raise money for this country has
been one of the ways that our school has been
thinking about how we can “Treat Others The
Way We Want To Be Treated.” In order to raise
money WE NEED YOUR HELP! Throughout April
and early May we are going to be hosting
various fundraising activities to raise money for
this cause. For example, on Wednesdays and
Thursdays we will be selling bracelets made by
the women of Lesotho for $2.00. The students
will also be participating in an African
Drumming Workshop during Education Week in
order to learn about some aspects of African
culture. This will lead to a performance on May
8th and we would love to see you all there.
Encourage your children to listen to the
announcements, check their agendas for more
information and give generously to this great
cause.
Jennifer Nelson
Teacher-Librarian
APRIL 2014
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
Green Legacy
– Seeds in the
Classroom
1-6
2
Tim Horton’s
Camp
World Wide
Autism Day
3
Tim Horton’s
Camp
4
Tim Horton’s
Camp
5
6
7
8
KB – Class
Trip
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Good Friday –
No School
19
20
Easter
21
Easter
Monday – No
School
22
Earth Keepers
– Gr 5
23
Earth Keepers
- Gr 5
24
Spirit Day
Assembly –
Earth Day
25
26
27
28
29
12:30 pm –
Shark
Program Gr. 3
and 5
30