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
December 2013
Christmas season in particular, I
challenge us as a school community to
put this motto in action.
“At Brant Avenue Public School
we treat others the way we want
to be treated. “
Last month at Brant Ave. Public School
we kicked off our year with a promise to
live the motto written above. We
promised, as a school and as
individuals, to do our best to treat each
other the way we want to be treated.
The big question is then, what does this
type of treatment look like?
How do you want to be treated?
Myself, I want to be treated with respect,
even when someone doesn’t agree with
me. I want to be helped when things
are difficult. I want to be heard when I
have something to say. I want to be
loved and treated kindly. I believe all
our students would say the same. I
believe all our staff would say the same.
I believe all our parents would say the
same.
So this year in general, and this
When you see someone who looks left
out, invite them to join you.
When you see someone who is sad and
lonely, take time to talk and listen.
When someone is happy and excited,
join them in their joy.
When you see someone in need,
comfort them in practical ways.
Walk a mile in another’s shoes. Take
the time to see the world through their
eyes. This is the beginning of kindness.
“Too often we underestimate the
power of a touch, a smile, a kind
word, a listening ear, an honest
compliment, or the smallest act of
caring, all of which have the
potential to turn a life around.” Leo Buscaglia:
Merry Christmas and Happy
Holidays!
Mair Ann Gault – Principal
Brant Ave. P.S.
Christmas Concert
classroom.
The dress rehearsal will be held on
Wednesday, December 11th at 12:05
a.m. The performance will be on
Thursday, December 12th at 2:05 p.m.
Parents and guardians are well at both
of these performances.
Please consider keeping your child
home an extra day so (s)he can recover
and return prepared for the full school
day.
School Arrival
It is getting chilly out and snow may fly
soon! Please remember to assist your
child(ren) in wearing proper clothing to
school. This includes a warm jacket,
hat, mitts and waterproof footwear.
Thanks for sending labeled extra socks
and pants in your child’s backpack just
in case. Twenty minutes can be a very
long time if you are not dressed properly
return prepared for the full school day.
Please discourage your children from
arriving before 8:40 a.m. There is no
supervision on the school yard until 8:40
a.m. and no one to supervise students
inside before the bell rings.
Fifth Disease “Slapped Cheek”
If you or your family should contract
Fifth Disease or as it is often called “slapped cheek”, please notify the office
immediately. It is a virus that spreads
easily through contact with fluids from
the noise and lungs, and through
contact with blood. The cheeks will be
red as if someone has slapped them.
December Break
Students finish school on Thursday,
December 19th at the regular time.
School resumes again on Monday,
January 6th.
Outdoor Recess.
We have had a number of parents
requesting that their child remain inside
at recess time as (s)he is still getting
over being ill. It is not possible to
supervise these children during break
time. All students are expected to
participate in outdoor recess, as this is
an important activity. Active break aids
concentration and success in the
Lost and Found
During the second week of December,
we will be sorting the lost and found
bins. Items will be displayed down the
length of the hallways. Classes will walk
down the hallway to have a look and
claim their belongings. All unclaimed
clothing will be donated to charity.
Please remember to label all items of
clothing, especially at this time of year
when hats, mitts and even coats go
missing. We want to be able to return
as many lost and found items as
possible.
Parent/Teacher Interviews
Staff enjoyed meeting with parents and
discussing strengths, next steps and
learning goals this month. Thank you
for finding time to meet with your child’s
teacher. The school-home connection
is very important to us as we work
together to make your child’s year a
successful one. If you have not yet had
an interview, please contact your child’s
teacher to set this up.
Kindergarten Registration
Registration for junior kindergarten and
new senior kindergarten students for
September 2014 will take place in
February. Your child must turn four
before December 31st, 2014 for the
junior kindergarten program. Your child
must turn five before December 31st,
2014 for the senior kindergarten
program. If your child is currently
attending the junior kindergarten
program, please do not register again.
Please be sure to return the
Kindergarten Pre-Registration Form that
is attached. A registration package will
be sent out in January with further
details.
Parking and Student Safety
Parents are reminded to park on the
street when visiting the school. Children
and parents walk through the parking lot
both in the mornings before school and
at the end of the day. As a safety
precaution, we ask that all parents and
older siblings, who are coming to the
school to pick up students, please meet
at an outside meeting place at the end
of the day. Students are asked to
independently enter and exit through
their assigned doors
Students are not to use the front doors
for entry/exit. Your support in keeping
your children safe is greatly appreciated.
Safety Patrollers and -25c or Below
On extremely cold mornings, patrollers
and parents should listen to the radio for
an announcement regarding altered
patrol post coverage times:
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If no announcement is made,
carry on a usual.
• At -25c (including the wind chill
factor) an announcement will be
made on air indicating that
patrollers will be on duty for only
the last five minutes of their
scheduled morning time.
At afternoon dismissal, usually the
temperature has warmed up above 25c. If not, then the patrollers would
also shorten their time on duty to 10
minutes.
Hats Off to Olivia!
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Congratulations to Olivia Blackwell
whose poster was selected to be
featured on the Mayor’s Christmas card
this year. Aaron Rahman also received
an honourable mention. The Mayor will
be visiting our classroom to congratulate
the students on their success.
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Council Members responsibilities:
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What is School Council?
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It is an advisory board that
represents the parents, staff and
students in the community
Council provides input to the
principal and to the board where
it is applicable
It contributes to improving
students environment and
learning by working cooperatively with staff and the
parent community
The majority of council members
are parents
Parents can act as a parent
representative or can run to be
an executive on council
Executive positions are : chair or
co-chairs, secretary and treasurer
Council also includes 1 teaching
staff member, 1 non-teaching
staff member and the principal
All positions are for the school
year taking effect in September
If you were on council you could:
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Assist in the development of the
school improvement plans
(system/school)
Participate with fundraising and
provide input on fundraising
events
Work as an executive member
Provide input on the allocations
of funds from fundraising events
Be informed about programs and
school based decisions
Provide input into the schools
code of conduct
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Attend meetings which are held
once a month
Contribute positively to the
discussions at the meetings
Solicit the views of other parents
and the community and share at
the meetings.
School Council Meeting
The next school council meeting is on
Monday, December 16th at 6:30 p.m.
for a Pot Luck Dinner. All welcome
even if you have never attended before.
School Council Fundraising Update
The fundraising committee has been
hard at work this fall:
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Dieleman Fundraising – approx.
$450 profit
QSP Magazine Drive – to date $100
Just a reminder that you can order
magazines all year long – the
website is www.qsp.ca and use our
school account number 7821
Subs – profit for the first term is $590
Campus Estates Hairstyling – would
like to offer you the following:
Haircuts for students up until the age
of 12 – their age plus $5
Haircuts for students 12 and up - $17
for males and $19 for female
$2 of the price goes towards our
school
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10% discount for school staff
Movie Night – profit of $113
Maple Leaf Fudge – to be
announced
Thank you to all of our parents for
supporting your school community.
Electronic Equipment
As in past years, we are requesting that
all electronic toys (ipods, gameboys, cell
phones, digital cameras, etc.) not be
brought to school. The reason for this
rule is to encourage physical activity at
recess time and imaginary and
organized play with friends and
classmates. Thank you for your
continued support.
School Safety Patrols
Our safety patrols have been doing
an excellent job in safeguarding our
students and parents as they walk to
and from school. We would like to
remind parents of the following:
PLEASE DO NOT ENTER OR EXIT
OUR PARKING LOT BETWEEN
THE HOURS OF 8:30 – 9:00 AM
AND 3:00 – 3:30 PM.
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Please come to a full stop at stop
signs.
Please do not stop to let your
children off at the crosswalk or
wave to students to cross.
Please do not leave your car
unattended in the kiss and drive
area. This causes congestion
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and often dangerous situations
arise for other parents trying to
pull up to get their children.
Please take care in attending to
our patrols and be patient.
Please do not park/stop in a no
parking/no stopping areas. This
blocks the line of view for our
patrols.
Unfortunately, all of the above
behaviours have been observed by
teachers/patrols on duty in front of our
school. Our only concern is the safety
of all children and parents as they arrive
to and leave from school each day.
Recess Games Leaders
Our recess games leaders: Atrab,
Kashvi, Cassie, Karleigh, Lily, Paislee,
Miah, Madeena, Alexis and Seaira have
been leading fun, active games outside
at recess every Monday and
Wednesday in November. Many
primary students have joined in the fun;
playing “Cross Canada”, “Freeze Tag”
and more.
Technology Use in Grade One
Our students are highly engaged as
they practice reading, science and math
skills using our class ipad and computer.
They use this technology to play
learning games and to watch/listen/read
books. Students also listen to books on
CD and MP3 players as they follow
along in the books. Listening to reading
helps students develop their vocabulary
and reading fluency. It’s fun too!
Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Pye-Clifford
No Dogs on the Schoolyard
A reminder to parents and visitors that
dogs are not allowed on the school yard
during the school day. As much as we
like and trust our own dogs, when they
are on school property and encounter
fast moving and often unpredictable
children, they can become stressed and
a dog’s natural reaction is to bite.
Please help us to safeguard our
students by keeping your dog(s) off
school property during school hours.
Library Update
Dropping Students at School
Recently, a number of parents have
been taking their students to their
classroom after the morning bell has
rung. This is a reminder that parents
need to drop late students off at the
office to report in and get a late slip from
the office. This assists us greatly with
our Safe Arrival Program. Thank you for
helping to keep our children safe!
ON BEHALF OF THE BRANT AVENUE
STAFF, WE WISH YOU A VERY
MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY
HOLIDAYS AND A SAFE AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
On November 19th James Qhobela, a
community activist from Lesotho, Africa
came to visit our school. He brought
pictures and told stories of children
living in Lesotho. Many of these
children have lost their parents to
HIV/AIDS and are now living in foster
homes. All students who saw the
presentation loved it! Mrs. Lightfoot ‘s
grade 2/3 class drew pictures of things
they like to do in Guelph for James to
take back to show the children in
Lesotho. Stay tuned for fundraising
opportunities in the new year as our
school brainstorms ways to help these
children. For more information on how
you can help visit the Bracelet of Hope
website at:
http://www.braceletofhope.ca
teacher provides to help students
know exactly where they’re
heading in a lesson.
Learn about positive parenting
strategies, community resources and
programs.
Parents can call and speak with a public
health nurse about parenting, child
development and health related topics
up to age 13 by calling KIDS LINE 1800-265-7293 ext. 3616. KIDS LINE is
also the access point for Growing Great
Kids which coordinates services from
many local agencies for children zero to
six who have special physical, social,
emotional, communication and
development needs. Speak with a public
health nurse Monday to Friday, 8:45
a.m. - 4:15 p.m.
www.wdgpublichealth.ca/?q=parents
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Success Criteria: Success
criteria often start with the words
“I can ….”. Success Criteria lists
what the student needs to
do/accomplish for the lesson or
unit of study.
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Descriptive Feedback:
Descriptive feedback can be oral
or written. It is provided by the
teacher and offers the student
information on how he/she is
doing. Descriptive feedback lets
students know what their next
steps are and what they can do
to improve.
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Guided Reading: Guided
reading is small group learning
where the teacher helps students
practice and improve his/her
reading skills. The instruction,
strategies taught and reading
material are carefully chosen to
meet the needs of each student.
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Three-Part Problem-Solving:
Three-part problem-solving is
students learning mathematics
and developing an understanding
of mathematics through
reasoning and working through a
problem. It has 3 distinct stages:
1. Before – Getting started or
Minds On is introducing and
practicing mathematical ideas
and strategies that connect to the
day’s learning goal.
2. During – Learning or Action is
solving the lesson’s problem in
“Progress Report
Language”
Like all professions, educators
sometimes use language specific to
teaching and learning. We often don’t
even realize when we have slipped into
using “edubabble”. On the Progress
Report that has just come home, we
have made every attempt to use
language that is meaningful to parents.
We want you to know and understand
what we are doing at school, and how
you can help support your child’s
learning. Below are some of the terms
you may have read on the Progress
Report or hear at the Parent/Teacher
interview.
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Learning Goal: A learning goal is
a stated or written goal the
pairs, small groups or
individually. The students
develop their knowledge, thinking
and strategies while the teacher
pushes and guides their learning
using questioning and feedback.
3. After - (a) Consolidation is a wholeclass discussion where the teacher and
the class analyze the solutions the
students came up with to the problem.
Together they highlight key
mathematical ideas and strategies. (b)
Independent Practice is the students
solving a problem(s) similar to the
lesson to practice the same skills and try
out the new ideas. Adapted from:
“A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics,
Problem Solving and Communication, K-6”’
“Bansho (Board Writing)”, Capacity Building
Series, 2011
“Communication in the Mathematics
Classroom”, Capacity Building Series, 2010
“Early Reading Strategy, The Report of the
Expert Panel on Early Reading in Ontario”,
2003
“Grand Conversations in the Junior
Classroom”, Capacity Building Series, 2011
“Growing Success, Assessment, Evaluation and
Reporting in Ontario”, 2010
“Making Room for Talking to Learn”, Adolescent
Literacy: Engaging Research and Teaching,
Literacy Gains Alert, 2012
Family Math Games Night
Our Family Math Games Night was a
huge success! Over 34 families came
and played games such as “Number
Battle”, “Race for $5.00”, “Race for
1000” and “Score with Four”. All
families went home with a package of
cards, dice, dominoes and game
instructions. Thanks to the families who
came out and to all staff who helped
host this night.
BRANT AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL
CHRISTMAS FOOD DRIVE/MITTEN TREE
DECEMBER 2013
At this time, it is especially important to teach our students to give back
to the community. To help meet the needs of our community, we are
asking students, parents and the staff of Brant Avenue P.S. to help collect
food for the Brant Avenue Community Centre.
All items must be non-perishable. A few examples are:
 All canned items: soups, pasta, tuna, salmon, milk etc.
 Dry good items: pasta, rice, peanut butter, jam, ketchup, mustard,
relishs, granola bars, juice boxes etc.
 Baby goods: formula, diapers, baby food, baby cereal
 Household items: dish detergent, soaps, shampoo and other
personal items
If you are able to, we ask that parents send in an item for our Food Drive.
Children learn by example.
Collection boxes will be located under the Christmas Tree in the Front
Foyer.
We will be decorating our tree with new mittens and hats. These will be
shared with our students. Your help in decorating would be appreciated.
All food collected will be used to meet the needs of the community either
at Christmas or during the winter months.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
KINDERGARTEN PRE-REGISTRATION FOR SEPTEMBER 2014
December 2013
Dear Parents:
We are attempting to project our school’s enrolment for September 2014. Specifically, we
would like an indication of those pre-school children who will be attending Kindergarten at
Brant Avenue Public School in September 2014.
Senior Kindergarten children must be five years of age by December 31st, 2014 and have not
attended school.
Junior Kindergarten children must be four years of age by December 31st, 2014.
Our Kindergarten Registration will be held sometime in February, 2014. You will be provided
with a complete registration package in January.
Please return the form as soon as possible to the school office.
PLEASE DETACH AND RETURN TO THE SCHOOL OFFICE NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 13th!
Parent’s Name: ____________________________________________________________
Complete Address:
____________________________________________________
Home Phone Number: ___________________________
Cell Phone Number:
___________________________
Work Phone Number: ___________________________
Name of New Kindergarten Child Who Will be Four or Five as of December 31, 2014:
Date of Birth: _______________________________
Siblings Presently Attending Brant Avenue Public School:
_________________________________________________
MONTH of DECEMBER 2013
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
11:15 Girls
Volleyball
Tournament
5
12:45 Gr 1
and 1/2 to
River Run
6
1:15 Jr Yoga
and
Mindfulness
7
8
10
11
12:05 Winter
Celebration
Performance
for Students
12
2:05 Winter
Celebration
Performance
for Parents
13
1:15 Jr Yoga
and
Mindfulness
14
15
9
11:00 Patrol
Pizza Lunch
9:00 School
Safety
Programs
16
17
18
11:00 Mayor
Visiting Gr 4/5
19
Spirit Day
20
MINISTRY
MANDATED
DAY – NO
SCHOOL
21
First Day of
22
23
24
25
26
27
WINTER
BREAK
29
30
31
First day of
school is
January 6th,
2014