May 1, 2015
PRINCESS MARGARET NEWS FOR PARENTS
Principal Mr. W. VanderVaart
Vice Principal: Ms. L. Kendle
Principal’s Message
Princess Margaret Public School’s positive character trait for May is Fairness. Fairness
for us involves actions, feelings and thoughts that are just, equitable and unbiased.
Fairness is linked to respect, treating others the way we would like to be treated.
We need your help, during family dinner, we hope you will take some time to discuss
what it means to be fair at home and school. There are many stories in the media that
have fairness as an underlying theme to get the conversation started. Are people being
treated fairly? Who is being fair? Is the amount paid fair for a product? Did a business
act fair? Are the laws fair? Another great question to start a conversation about
fairness is, does everything need to be the same to be fair? Fairness sounds so easy, we
often hear students on the playground saying, “that’s not fair,” but what does fair
really mean? Hopefully together we can help our students/children understand the
complex nature of fairness. During the month of May, your child’s teacher will be
talking about Fairness and completing activities about fairness in class.
Dufferin Youth Festival of Arts was held on April 21st at the Compass Church. Our
junior and intermediate bands performed very well at this festival. We are very proud
of the way all the band members played. Thanks to Mrs. Heimbecker and Mrs. Mikulik
for hosting the morning and getting the festival off to a great start as well as
conducting and supporting our music program.
Basketball season has just ended for both our girls and boys intermediate teams. Our
teams had a great season, improving their basketball skills, growing in character and
getting closer as a team.
Our band will perform on May 5, 6:30 pm start time, to celebrate Education week. We
will also be holding a Talent Show that night as well. Come support our Band and see
some fabulous entertainment here at PMPS.
School Council News
At our last School Council meeting, April 20, 2015, we discussed many topics and events. One
event coming on May 21st starting at 6:30 pm until 8:00 pm, will be our annual reading night
with cookies and milk. Come hear a guest reader and a safety presentation and leave with a book.
Please let us know if you can help us organize this event.
Coming in June, Family Fun Night, June 17th.
Our next meeting will be May 19th 2015 starting at 7:00 pm in our Library.
New Junior and Senior Kindergarten Parents
Parents of Junior Kindergarten students who will be attending P.M.P.S. in September of 2015, are
invited to attend an information evening on Thursday, May 28th, at 6:30 p.m. in our Library.
School staff will meet with parents in the library to provide information about our school. Parents will then
move to our Kindergarten classrooms to learn about the full day Kindergarten program. The evening will
conclude with a tour of the school.
We hope that all parents of JK students who will begin attending P.M.P.S. this fall, will be able to attend
this meeting. We also invite the parents of Senior Kindergarten students who will be new to the school
next year to attend this meeting.
Upper Grand District School Board
Page 1
May 1, 2015
PRINCESS MARGARET NEWS FOR PARENTS
Principal Mr. W. VanderVaart
Vice Principal: Ms. L. Kendle
New Registrants and Transfers:
The Staff at Princess Margaret P. S. will be engaging in class placement planning for September based
on our current enrolment figures. If you know that your child(ren) will not be attending Princess Margaret
Public School in the fall of 2015, please notify the school office as soon as possible. If you know of new
families who would possibly be attending Princess Margaret Public School in the fall, please encourage
them to register as soon as possible.
New Junior Kindergarten registrations for September 2015 are still being accepted. Please call Ms.
English at 519-941-3731 ex 0, in order to register your child.
Dress Code
We are expecting warm spring weather and summer temperatures in the very near future. I know that
staff and students are ready to welcome this change in weather. Please assist your children in dressing
for learning when they come to school. We expect them to dress according to the dress code as outlined
in the P.M.P.S. Code of Conduct.
Students are to:
Dress appropriately, no visible boxer shorts, no spaghetti straps or visible bra straps, no offensive
messages, words or pictures on clothing, no bare midriffs, and ready for physical activity.
We appreciate your assistance in ensuring that all P.M.P.S. students are dressed appropriately and are
prepared for learning!
Understanding the Equal Sign
Most children see = and they know it is an equal sign, but do they really understand what it means? Many
children believe the equal sign means “the answer is” or “the total”. They do not understand that the equal sign is a
symbol of balance or sameness. Think about 3 + 4 = 7. 3 plus 4 is the same as 7. When children understand that the
equal sign shows a relationship between numbers, they develop stronger number sense and are able to work with
numbers more flexibly. For example, children who know that the equal sign shows balance understand that 3 + 4 is
the same as 5 + 2. Children who think of the equal sign as showing the answer often struggle with mental math and,
later on, with algebra.
Parents can help support understanding of the equal sign in many ways. First, using the word “equal” in
everyday conversation to highlight equal relationships helps to promote an understanding of sameness. Use the
words “equal” and “the same” together. When sharing snacks among people, talk about amounts. Are they equal?
How do we know?
Also, many children enjoy missing number problems, especially when presented as a puzzle or challenge.
Challenge children to find the number to balance equations, like these:
5 + ___ = 1 + 8 or
14 - 6 = ___ + 3
or
5 x ____ = 4 x ____
When playing with Lego, talk about how the different sized pieces are related. How many little pieces are
equal to a big piece? Build different creations with equal number of pieces. Build creations with equal sizes but
different number of pieces.
The more exposure children have to the idea that the equal sign means “the same”, the better set they will
be to develop solid number sense and number flexibility.
Megan Haessler - Teacher-Researcher with the UGDSB
Upper Grand District School Board
Page 2
May 1, 2015
PRINCESS MARGARET NEWS FOR PARENTS
Principal Mr. W. VanderVaart
Vice Principal: Ms. L. Kendle
More Children Can Get Free Dental Care
More children will qualify for free dental care as of April 1, 2014 due to changes to
the Healthy Smiles Ontario Program. The income thresholds have changed and now
include the number of children in the family. This affects children
and youth up to the age of 18 who are residents of Ontario and
have no access to any form of dental coverage.
If you think a child may qualify for Healthy Smiles Ontario, contact Public Health
at 1-800-265-7293 ext. 2661. We will help you with the application process and answer any
questions.
Join the 2015 Pause to Play challenge May 10th – 16th 2015.
The Pause to Play challenge encourages students and their families to put their television, video games and computers
on pause for one full week. Participants are more likely to feel good about themselves. Exercise that gets your heart
pumping has many benefits to your health!
Being active for at least 60 minutes daily can help children:
• Improve their health
• Do better in school
• Improve their fitness, grow stronger and maintain a healthy body weight
• Have fun playing with friends and feel happier
• Learn new skills and improve their self-confidence
Take the challenge for a week or more and learn how much fun it can be to pause to PLAY!
Go to www.wdgpublichealth.ca for more information and for a list of free or low cost activities your local library and
recreation centres are offering.
The Orangeville Public Library
• LEGO Club @ Alder Street May 12, 2015
• It's All About the Games May 13, 2015
• Library website - http://www.orangeville.ca/orangeville-public-library/events/2
Town of Orangeville Parks and Recreation Department.
Check out activities at: http://www.orangeville.ca/parks-and-recreation
Upper Grand District School Board
Page 3
May 1, 2015
PRINCESS MARGARET NEWS FOR PARENTS
Principal Mr. W. VanderVaart
Vice Principal: Ms. L. Kendle
Technology and Parenting by Brenda Sherry
Technology surrounds us and there is little doubt that is has revolutionized the way we
work, shop, travel, learn, and play. Like many other things in parenting, thinking ahead of
time about how you’ll approach technology use with your children can go a long way in
setting up good routines and conversations at home.
Here are some tips you might consider when your family uses technology:
1. While our children seem to be very comfortable and agile in their use of technology, they
need our help to learn skills in digital literacy. Understanding the validity of information they
see on the internet, becoming good digital citizens who respect and protect themselves in
online spaces, and learning when and how to communicate using a variety of digital tools is
best done with the help of parents and teachers. For more information about Media
Literacy, parents and teachers can find many resources at http://mediasmarts.ca
2. Technology is no longer only about being a passive watcher or listener to content
created by others. Seeking out creative software, games, apps and websites that allow
your child to be creative and play with images, music and video can be a great way to make
learning fun and engaging. A good place to start for ideas is our Board’s website and
UG2GO where students can login and access many wonderful digital learning resources.
3. Don’t be afraid to learn along with your children as new technologies come into your
lives. This is a great opportunity for your children to see you learning something new and
taking risks, modeling that open learning stance that they will need in order to manage a
future of rapid change.
3. It has always been a good idea to have the family computer in a common area of the
house so that parents can monitor their children’s use, and this has become a bit trickier
since mobile devices have come on the scene. Consider creating a ‘parking space’ for
mobile devices like ipods, ipads, phones and DS handhelds, and defining boundaries
around where and when they can be used. Check in frequently with children to see the
kinds of activities in which they are taking part. Setting up a routine of ‘powering off’ before
bedtime is a good way to ensure that children aren’t up until all hours on their devices.
4. Parents can model a healthy balance by working out acceptable limits for technology use
including phones, television, video games and screen time. Remember that your children
are watching you, and you can begin to have conversations with them at an early age about
how you and your family balance your technology time with other fun and engaging
activities like hobbies, playtime and exercise, all of which are extremely important to your
child’s development. Talk about how much is too much and set limits.
Upper Grand District School Board
Page 4
May 1, 2015
PRINCESS MARGARET NEWS FOR PARENTS
Principal Mr. W. VanderVaart
Vice Principal: Ms. L. Kendle
Talking about Mental Health - May 2015
May 2-9 is Child and Youth Mental Health Week!
Have a SUPER Week! Let’s increase everyone’s mental health and well being! Let’s focus on
increasing these positive skills!
Social Connections
Uplifting Emotions
Personal Health
Emotional Calming
Resilient Thinking
Now that you have started building all those wonderful skills, keep it going throughout the
month and the year!
Our community partners have some excellent activities planned:
Norfolk Psychological Services is presenting a series of free seminars, hosted at the Guelph
Public Library on Child, Youth and Family Mental Health.
For more information and to register, please visit www.guelphpl.ca or 519-824-6220.
DCAFS and Shed the Light will be presenting in schools and a display and information will be
available at DCAFS. Shed the Light is hosting 'Artistry in Mind' at ODSS on Friday May 8th in
the evening.
For more information go to dcafs.ca.
CMHAWWD is hosting: a film showing, May 4, 7:00 pm of The Mask You Wear at 10
Carden St., Guelph. A BBQ and Art Show, May 8, 1-4 pm at 30 Centre St., Orangeville
and a BBQ/Open house on May 8, 1:30-1:30 at 292 Stephenson St. N., Guelph.
GLOWW and CMHAWWD are hosting a family day and walk to bring Mental Illness out
of the dark into the light, May 2,12-5, at Exhibition Park, Guelph.
For more information go to https://wwd.cmha.ca/
Enjoy and participate and keep talking about mental health!
Dr. Lynn Woodford is the Mental Health and Addiction Lead for Upper Grand District School
Board
Follow me on twitter: @drlynnwoodford
Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities
Upper Grand District School Board
Page 5
May 1, 2015
PRINCESS MARGARET NEWS FOR PARENTS
Principal Mr. W. VanderVaart
Vice Principal: Ms. L. Kendle
Learning disabilities refer to a number of disorders that affect processes related
to the learning, organization, and recall of information, as well as the understanding or
use of language and/or nonverbal information. A student with a learning disability
demonstrates some average or above average cognitive abilities that are essential for
thinking and reasoning. Despite this, he or she can have academic underachievement,
or achievement maintained only by unusually high levels of effort and/or support. At
school, this means that the student has good ideas and is able to do the thinking
required to make connections and problem solve, however one or more areas of
academics (oral language, reading, writing or math) cause significant difficulties and
frustration.
The Upper Grand District School Board supports students with learning
disabilities in a variety of ways. Some students who struggle to learn to read will be
recommended by the school to attend a special education class for students with
learning disabilities. If parents agree that this is a good option for supporting their child,
the student may attend this program for one or more years in Grades 4 through 6. In
some areas of the Board, where special education classes are not available, a student
with a learning disability might receive the support of one of the Board’s four Itinerant
Technology Resource Teachers. These teachers are qualified special education
teachers and have an expertise in the use of assistive technology. The support of an
Itinerant Technology Resource Teacher would occur during Grades 4 to 6 and would
take place while the student is in the regular classroom. For most students with
learning disabilities, the regular classroom, with the support of a resource teacher, is the
best fit.
A student with a learning disability, receiving instruction in a regular or special
education class, will benefit significantly from the use of assistive technology. This may
include computer programs that are designed to read printed materials, turn speech into
written words, or predict what words students are trying to spell. Assistive technology is
often an important strategy for learning and letting students demonstrate what they
know and have learned. The use of these technologies can also help students to
become more independent, can increase their self-confidence and improve self-esteem.
While assistive technology is often necessary for some students with learning
disabilities and other difficulties at school to be successful, it can benefit ALL
STUDENTS in the classroom. Each and every student at the UGDSB has access to
Read&Write for Google, which does read print, turn speech into words and predict the
words as they are being typed. These program options are available to students on any
computer, at school or at home, as long as they are logged onto the internet browser
Chrome and their UGCloud account. For information on how to access your child’s
UGCloud account at home, speak to his or her classroom teacher.
More information about learning disabilities can be found on the Learning
Disabilities Association of Ontario website (www.ldao.ca). For more information about
the supports offered to students with learning disabilities at the UGDSB, talk to your
Upper Grand District School Board
Page 6
May 1, 2015
PRINCESS MARGARET NEWS FOR PARENTS
Principal Mr. W. VanderVaart
Vice Principal: Ms. L. Kendle
child’s classroom teacher, the special education resource teacher at the school, or the
principal or vice-principal. The Board’s Special Education Plan and Reports are also
available online on the UGDSB website and provide more details and in-depth
explanations of special education at the UGDSB.
“For most of us, technology makes things easier. For a person with a disability, it
makes things possible.”
~ J. Heumann, American Disability Rights Activist
May Environmental & Character Education Theme
Live local – be HELPFUL in your neighbourhood
Think local and save the environment. It is time to celebrate our local talent and to appreciate
the wealth of natural goodness grown locally. Every decision we make to purchase local
products, reduces carbon emissions. Our province produces an abundance of fruits, vegetables,
meat, nuts, and grains. However, the richness of local products doesn't end with food products.
We have many local talented artists, sculptors, and fashion designers. Every time we choose
local products we are making a choice to support our local economy and individual microeconomies.
What is an ecological ? "An ecological footprint is used to depict the amount of land and water
area you would need to provide the resources required to support yourself." By caring about
your environment and making careful choices you can have a positive impact on the planet and
leave a smaller ecological footprint so that your own and future generations - not to mention the
other creatures - can enjoy this beautiful planet. Help the planet by starting in your own
backyard. Look around your neighbourhood to see what places—parks, gathering spots, natural
places, quiet nooks, play areas, walking routes, commercial centers—could be protected or
regenerated. Think about what changes could be made to reduce pollution and environmental
degradation. So don’t pollute, conserve water and other resources, ride your bike or walk as
much as possible and eat and shop locally, and you will help keep your “footprint” small!
If you live your life locally, you protect globally! - Let’s go green, everyone!
Upper Grand District School Board
Page 7
May
2015
Princess Margaret Public School
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Learning to Live * Living to learn
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
8
9
15
16
22
23
29
30
5
6
Pizza Day
CHARACTER TRAIT:
FAIRNESS
3
4
Education Week
5
Pita Day
Talent Show and Band
Presentation
10
11
12
Fluoride Treatment #3
17
18
Victoria Day
24
6
Pizza Day
Bike Roadeo at PMPS
13
Fluoride Treatment #3
Earthkeepers gr 5 trip,
Career Day Trip for gr 7/8
19
14
Earthkeepers gr 5 trip
20
Pizza Day,
Earthkeepers gr 5 trip
21
School Council Mtg
25
Pizza Day
26
27
Hep B #2 Grade 7
HPV #3 Grade 8
31
7
Green Day to support
Mental Health week.
June 1
28
Pizza Day
New JK/SK Info Night
6:30 – 7:30 pm
2
3
4
PA Day