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
NOVEMBER 2013
Students
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
You might recall that once again in our
September newsletter I asked all parents
and guardians to respond to a survey
about Brant Avenue Public School. We
had many, many families respond to the
survey. I was very happy to hear from
so many of you. Also during September
I had opportunity to survey many of our
students. I asked them about the things
they love about Brant Avenue Public
School and to list one thing they would
like to see happen.
Below are the most frequent responses:
Favourite Things about Brant:
#1 – the new climber!
#2 – friendships
#3 – going to the gym
#4 – working on computers
#5 – the great staff!
Next Steps suggested from Parents
and Students:
#1 – continue to improve the
school yard with equipment,
benches, trees and activities
#2 – more Ipads and computers
#3 – lockers
#4 – a school sleep over☺
#5 – a pool ☺
Parents:
Favourite Things about Brant:
#1 - the staff
#2 - the strong sense of
community
#3 - parents getting to learn new
things about math, literacy and
parenting
#4 - the Neighbourhood Group
and the school working together
#5 - the school is clean
Last year, parent and students told us
the thing they wanted to happen most at
Brant Avenue Public School was to have
a play structure in our schoolyard. The
School Council worked VERY hard over
the last four years fund-raising and
advocating and as a result ... IT HAS
ARRIVED!!! We have our new play
structure! Thank you to our School
Council, Brant Staff, Superintendent
Linda Benallick, UGDSB staff, The
Guelph Royal Canadian Legion Ladies
Auxiliary, Linamar, and Reid’s Heritage
Homes for their support. A special
thank you goes to Kathy Daziel and
Shelley Frost for their hard work. It’s
amazing what we can do when we hear
each other’s voice and work together to
accomplish our dreams.
This year we have already started to
pursue the top two goals listed above. In
pursuit of goal one, we have put into
place several recess groups, including a
soccer leadership group and a Recess
Revival team of junior students who will
lead fun games with younger students.
We also have purchased new gym
equipment and will use some of the older
equipment for outdoor use at recess.
Several staff has volunteered to organize
these activities.
FAMILY MATH GAMES NIGHT
COMING YOUR WAY!
On November 27th, our school is hosting
a family math games night between
6:30pm and 7:30pm. This will be an
exciting chance to learn about and play
hands-on math games with your
children. Everyone who attends will
have a chance to win a door prize and
every family will receive a "loot bag" of
activities to play at home. This fun night
out with your children will give you a
chance to play with shapes, add with
blocks and understand how your children
are being taught math concepts every
day. Look for more information and a
RSVP note that will be sent home soon.
PROGRESS REPORTS/INTERVIEWS
In pursuit of goal number two,
technology, we have received a
wonderful influx of technology, including
an Ipad for each classroom for
instructional purposes, plus 12 Ipads and
12 Chrome books on a movable cart
which can be used by the classes so that
each student can have a device in hand
to learn and experience the benefits of
technology to further their educational
goals. We also have a computer lab in
the library that classes can access. We
have wifi across the school so that each
device can access the internet. Finally,
in addition to teaching students how to
access technology, we are actively
teaching them how to be responsible and
wise with technology.
Progress reports will be sent
home on Thursday, November
14th. This progress report will
provide students and parents with early
feedback on the progress made during
the first two months of the school year.
It will tell you how your child is doing in all
subjects using words: “progressing very
well”, “progressing well”, or “progressing
with difficulty”. Interviews will be held on
Friday November 22nd during the
daytime. Please contact Mrs. Smith,
our school secretary, at 519-824-2671 to
set up your interview appointments.
P.A. DAY
We are well on our way, again this year,
of achieving our community’s goals for
our students! Thanks to all of you who
gave us your input. Your voice matters!
There will be a Professional Activity Day
on Friday, November 22nd which means
no school for the students. Teachers
will be conducting pre-arranged
interviews at the school during the day.
Sincerely,
SCHOOL DRILLS
Mair Ann Gault
In the interest of student safety, the
Upper Grand District School Board has
directed all schools to conduct at least six
fire drills, two lockdown drills and one
tornado drill each school year.
A lockdown is used when it is suspected
that an intruder has entered the school
and poses a threat to the safety of our
students and staff. Detailed procedures
have been developed in conjunction with
our local police services and provided to
all schools as part of our emergency
procedures manual.
In a lockdown, students and staff are
directed to secure areas where doors
can be locked and the children are kept
out of sight (such as classrooms and
portables). No one may leave their
secure area until they receive an “all
clear” from the authorities.
Students and staff will be instructed on
what they are to do when a drill is held.
Lockdown drills are becoming familiar to
students just like fire and tornado drills
which we are also required to do every
year.
Thanks for sending extra socks in your
child’s backpack just in case. All
students are expected to participate in
outdoor recess, as this important active
break aids concentration and success in
the classroom. Indoor shoes are
essential to help keep our classrooms
clean and dry.
INCLEMENT WEATHER
It is the parent’s responsibility to
determine whether or not it is safe for his
or her child to leave for school in
inclement or severe weather. A parent
must be aware of the following:
•
•
If you have any questions or concerns
about Lockdown drills, we would be
happy to discuss them with you.
LOST AND FOUND
Did you label, with a permanent
marker, items your child brings to
school that could go missing? Our lost
and found bins are filling up fast and it is
more likely an item can be returned if you
have labelled sweatshirts, coats, lunch
bags, backpacks, shoes, etc. All items
not claimed in a timely manner will be
donated to a charitable organization.
COLD DAYS – WET WEATHER –
OUTDOOR RECESS
It is getting chilly out and the snow may
fly soon. Please remember to assist
your child in wearing the proper clothing
to school. This includes a warm jacket,
hat, mitts, and waterproof footwear.
•
When a bus does not travel a
route in the morning due to fog,
ice, snow conditions, it will NOT
travel that route in the afternoon.
While we have an excellent
transportation system, buses may
be delayed in the morning due to
traffic, poor road conditions,
mechanical breakdowns etc.
This will ensure your child is not
stranded at his/her pick up point,
please make sure they know what
to do and where to go if their bus
is more than 15 minutes late
Remember to listen to CJOY 1460
AM or Magic 106.1 FM in the
event of inclement weather.
They will broadcast bus
cancellations or school closures.
Procedures are also in place to ensure
the safety of students during their
outdoor breaks at nutritional breaks
during periods of extreme cold.
In the event of inclement weather, the
Director of Education will make the
decision to close schools.
Announcements are made by local radio
stations and this information is also
posted on the Wellington-Dufferin
Student Transportation System website.
Website: www.stwdsts.ca
SIGN IN/SIGN OUT PROCEDURES
We take the safety of your child(ren) very
seriously!
Adults entering the building are asked to
come to the office to sign in. If you are
staying to volunteer or as a visitor for an
event, please pick up and wear the
appropriate badge from the office.
Adults in our building who are not
wearing a visitor’s badge will be asked to
return to the office and sign in. Please
remember that the safety of our students
is extremely important.
If parents are dropping off a kindergarten
child, please do not walk through the
school but exit the doors that you came
in. If you are dropping your child(ren) at
the office, please allow them to proceed
to class on their own.
To keep disruptions in the classroom to a
minimum, parents picking up students
are asked to come to the office and wait
for their children there. Please
remember to sign your child(ren) out at
the office. If children are reminded in
the morning when to come to the office to
meet a parent and the teacher has been
aware of the absence, this will go a long
way to keep disruptions in the classroom
down.
access to their child and their records. If
for some reason these rights are
restricted, it is important to notify the
Principal with a photocopy of any legal
documents that outline a parent’s access
rights (e.g. Custody Order). Should the
situation change, please ensure that the
Principal is notified.
HEAD LICE
Here is our friendly annual head lice
reminder; as you are aware, having head
lice is not an indicator of poor hygiene –
lice like clean hair best! They can
happen to anyone. If there was a report
of head lice in your child’s class, we will
send home a head lice notice. Please
check your son/daughter’s hair regularly,
and contact the school if you discover
your child has lice or nits. If your child
has head lice, please treat them with a
remedy from the pharmacy that kills the
live lice and then using a special comb or
other technique; and remove nits from
the hair. Since no product can
effectively kill all nits, you will then need
to check for nits and remove them from
the hair every day for 7-10 days at which
time treatment is redone with a pharmacy
product.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Lunches, clothing, homework etc. must
be dropped off at the office. We will
make sure that your child(ren) receive
the items before breaks.
Kindergarten Registration for the
2014/2015 school year will take place in
the New Year. More information will
follow.
Finally, parents needing to speak to a
teacher are asked to phone ahead and
request an interview time. The
home/school connection is so important
for your child’s success. You are more
than welcome to call your child’s teacher
to discuss any issue.
SCHOOL SAFETY PATROLS
CHILD CUSTODY
*Please come to a full stop at stop signs.
Unless otherwise directed by a court of
law, both natural parents have full
*Please do not stop to let your children off at
the crosswalk or wave for students to cross.
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 obstruct the sidewalk by
parking in neighbours driveways.
*Please take care in attending to our
patrols and be patient.
*Please do not park/stop in 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.
PHOTO RETAKES
Photo Retakes are planned
for November 19th, 2013 in
the morning. If your child
was absent or you did not
give a picture envelope to the
photographer your child may
have their photo taken. If you are
having photos taken because you would
like to replace the package you received,
please make sure your child brings in the
whole photo package and returns it to the
photographer.
MOVIE NIGHT
School Council will be holding a movie
night on Thursday, November 21, 2013.
Doors will open at 6:00pm with the movie
starting at 6:15pm. The movie is free
and snacks will be available for
purchase.
RECESS GAMES
Beginning Monday, October 28th, a
dedicated group of Grade 5 and 6
students will be leading outdoor recess
games for primary students. The
games will take place first recess on
Mondays and Wednesdays. The
Recess Games Leaders will be
developing their leadership skills as they
teach and lead games such as “TV Tag”
and “Octopus Tag”. At the same time,
they will also remind the younger
students about using Kelso’s Choices to
resolve any conflicts. We hope the
primary students have fun playing these
active games at recess.
Mrs. Pye-Clifford and Miss Emily
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE
LIBRARY …..
Did you know that our board has
wonderful resources that our students
can access at home? It is called
UG2GO and it includes educational
videos, access to kid friendly sites,
Tumble books (hundreds of books kids
can click on and have read to them) and
much, much more! On your home
computer go to the main
address: http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/ug2g
o
Students will be prompted to type in the
user name and password they use at
school. If your child cannot remember
their username and password they can
come by the library and pick up a card
with their information on it to take home.
BULLYING AWARENESS WEEK –
NOVEMBER 18-22
During the week of November 18th –
22nd, students and staff at Brant Avenue
are going to be discussing and exploring
the issue of bullying and it’s effects.
Throughout the week, students will
participate in activities and discussions in
their classrooms. This is to promote
awareness, empathy and give students
the confidence and skills/strategies
needed to handle bullying situations,
whether they are a bystander or a target
or maybe even a bully themselves.
What is a bully?
A bully can be defined in many
ways but some of the common
elements of the definition include:
•
•
•
•
an imbalance of power –
the bully or bullies may be
physically stronger or may
be part of a larger group
and/or may have a
stronger social status
within the school.
the action is repeated over
time – two friends arguing
and calling each other
names in not bullying
there is malicious intent – a
bully means to hurt the
other person. Bullying is
not accidental nor is
bullying just teasing
bullies enjoy the power and
strength they feel when
hurting others
Anyone can be a bully
although the approach a bully
takes usually differs from boys
to girls. Boys tend to bully
physically; pushing, tripping,
bumping, kicking, etc. The
bullying pattern of girls tends
to be harder to observe as they
tend to exclude, intimidate or
verbally bully their target. If
you suspect that your child
may be a bully you need to
take the problem seriously and
talk to your child. Let your
child know that you will not
tolerate bullying behavior and
use non-violent
consequences. Establishing
family rules, spending more
time with your child and
increasing supervision of their
activities will help your child
feel valued and lessen the
likelihood of bullying behavior.
How do I know if my child is
being bullied?
Anyone can be a target of
bullying although bullies tend
to choose victims who are
passive and are less likely to
be assertive and stand up for
themselves or less likely to tell
an adult.
Some signs that your child is
being bullied may include:
• being afraid to go to
school
• changes in mood or
behavior (ie, quiet,
withdrawn,
argumentative)
• coming home with
unexplained injuries
• having damaged
property
• experiencing restless
sleep
What to do if your child is being
bullied?
• ask your child directly
• listen
• talk with staff
supervising your child
• teach your child
assertiveness and
social skills
• know your child’s
strengths and
weaknesses
• encourage special
interests and activities
that focus on strengths
• teach your child
positive ways to
resolve arguments
• seek help
What is a bystander?
A lot of recent research indicates
the role of a third group in the
occurrence of bullying. This third
group is the bystanders.
Bystanders allow bullying to occur
by standing and watching or by
actively encouraging and
cheering the bully on thereby
reinforcing the bullying behavior.
Bystanders often say that it’s
none of their business, the bully is
my friend, the victim deserved to
be bullied or that there is nothing
they can do about it. Bystanders
are now being encouraged to
empathize with the victim, to
report (this is not tattling) when
someone is in danger of being
harmed, to accompany the target
to get help, and to join together
with their peers to protect targets.
Stop a Bully
Did you know that in the majority of
cases, bullying stops within 10 seconds
when peers intervene or don’t support
the bullying behavior?
The Upper Grand District School Board
takes all incidents of bullying seriously.
That’s why we developed an online
bullying reporting tool. Stop a Bully
gives students and parents 24/7 access
for reporting bullying. You don’t have to
identify yourself – just your school – and
your message gets sent directly to your
school principal for follow-up. We will
follow up on your report. You’ll find the
Stop a Bully button on our school’s
website and the board’s website
(www.udsb.opn.ca/stop-a-bully).
If your child is the victim of bullying or
sees bullying behavior at school, please
encourage him/her to speak with
someone at school or use the Stop a
Bully tool. For more information,
contact the school.
At Brant Avenue P.S. we have been
fund-raising to beat cancer with Terry
Fox for 15 years. This year, to celebrate
this accomplishment we held a special
assembly and received a banner from a
representative of the Terry Fox
Foundation. Congratulations to our
students this year for raising over
$200.00 to help fight cancer!
NEXT SCHOOL
COUNCIL MEETING
Monday, November
18th, 2013
In the Staffroom from
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Everyone Welcome!
NOVEMBER 2013
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
23
10:30am
Assembly –
Remembrance
Day
17
24
18
25
Report Cards Go
Home
19
20
21
22
9:00am Picture
Retake
9:00am
Assembly/Spirit
Day–Rights of a
Child
10:00am VIP Gr. 6
PA Day – Prearranged
Interviews
26
27
28
29
6:00pm – Math
Night
9:00am - River
Run Gr. 3/4 & 4/5
30
Health
November 2013
What a good feeling!
Get Your Flu Shot
The flu is a respiratory illness that spreads quickly from person to person. Common flu symptoms
include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, joint pain, and weakness.
The flu is more serious for the very young and elderly. They can get the flu from school-aged children
who don’t seem sick but may have a mild case. Get your free flu shot. It protects everyone. Visit
www.wdgpublichealth.ca to find a flu clinic near you.
If you don’t like needles, there is an alternative. FluMist is a nasal spray available for children and adults
ages 2 to 59. FluMist is not available at drop-in clinics. Call 1-800-265-7293 to make an appointment.
There is a cost of $20 for the nasal spray vaccine.