Laurelwoods Elementary School
Newsletter May 2016
“Learn, Lead, Inspire…Together / Dirigeons Apoprenons et
Inspirons Ensemble”
PRINCIPAL NEWS
This year, Education Week is May 2nd to 6th. The theme is “Learn, Lead, Inspire. Together”.
Education week is a time to celebrate our achievements and reflect on the learning and growing that
our students have achieved.
In honour of this week, our students will be participating in many different activities. The entire
school will be involved in “Music Monday” on May 2nd with a school wide assembly. I would like to
thank Ms. Panter, Mrs. Rayfield and Madame Neumann and their team for organizing this wonderful
assembly. Our Primary Choir and Chimes Choirs participated at the Dufferin Youth Arts Festival in
April. All of our student musicians did a wonderful job representing Laurelwoods. I would like to thank
Ms. Gaudette for leading and preparing the Laurelwoods choir. In addition, I would like to thank Mrs.
Moritz for her efforts working with our Chime Choirs. We are very fortunate to have a volunteer as
dedicated as Mrs. Moritz working with our students. A special thanks also goes out to Mr. Gordanier
and Mr. Johnson for coaching our school basketball teams.
Many students are enjoying the various activities in the yard: the basketball nets, soccer fields,
and the four-square games are all being used regularly. We remind the students that it is important to
play safely and fairly with their peers as well as share the equipment with others to ensure that our
yard continues to be a fun and safe place to play.
With the warm weather approaching, please remember to have your child prepared with a hat, sun
screen and appropriate clothing for track and field, field trips and outdoor gym classes. Also, we
expect students to dress in clothing that is appropriate for their age group. Shorts and skirts must be
a reasonable length and undergarments should not be visible.
It is mandated by UGDSB that specific personal safety/child abuse prevention programs be
delivered to certain grades every school year. In Dufferin, these programs are as follows:
SK - Kids in the Know (two 40 min lessons)
1 - CARE Kit (three 40 min lessons)
2- Kids in the Know (three 40 min lessons)
3- CARE Kit (three 40 min lessons)
5 - Kids in the Know (3-4, 40 min lessons)
7 - It's Not Your Fault - 100 min block
These programs will be taking place before the end of the school year. Please contact your child’s
teacher if you have any questions.
Lastly, I’d like to thank Michelle Bremner and Danielle Miron for their service at Laurelwoods ES.
Michelle was a student teacher from Lakehead who worked with Ms. Gaudette’s class, and Danielle
was an Educational Assistant at our school. We wish them all the best in their careers. Please join me
in welcoming our newest EA, Ms. Kleinpaste, to our school.
Sincerely,
Darren Hale
2016-2017 School Organization
Another administrative task that we begin in late
May and into June is determining the 2016-2017
school organization, and the make-up of classes.
We would like to inform parents about how we
approach this important task.
First, our in-school staffing committee receives a
tentative school organization from the Board’s
District Staffing Committee. This school
organization is based on the expected student
enrolment and the number of teachers that are
allocated to our school by the Upper Grand District
School Board’s Staffing Committee.
Next, our staff collects data on each student which
is then used at grade level placement meetings.
Teacher collaboration occurs around determining
student placement for the subsequent year.
Teachers spend a considerable amount of time
determining the best possible placement for each
student. Teachers have the expert knowledge
about how your child learns their work habits, and
what kind of social groupings foster their growth.
We appreciate your trust in our professional
judgment in the student placement process.
Riding Bicycles to School
A reminder that permission from
parents must be granted before
riding bicycles to school. These
forms are available in the main office at the school.
Students are expected to wear mandatory head
gear. Bicycles are to be parked in the bicycle racks
located at the front of the school. At the end of the
day, students who ride bicycles are dismissed after
the last bus has departed from the school.
Hats and Sunscreen
We are expecting warm weather
in the near future! We remind parents that students
are outdoors for recess and on occasion for
physical education class. We strongly recommend
that parents take appropriate precautions to protect
their child(ren) from the harmful rays of the sun.
Students are encouraged to wear hats, sunscreen
and sunglasses when on the playground.
EQAO Grade 3 and 6 Provincial
Assessment of Reading, Writing and
Math
This May, Grade 3 and 6 students across Ontario
will be assessed by the “Education Quality and
Accountability Office” in reading, writing and
mathematics. The EQAO assessments require
students to participate in the assessment over six
one hour sessions. This year our grade 3 and 6
students will complete the assessment on May 25th
– May 30th. Our teachers and students are working
hard to prepare for these assessments, and we
sincerely appreciate your support in limiting student
absences during these periods.
School and provincial results of this assessment
will be made public in the fall. Individual student
results are also released to parents at that time.
The data from these assessments is one source of
information to assist schools in developing schoolimprovement initiatives.
Help Your Child Do Well on Tests:
1. Make sure your child gets a good night sleep
before every test.
2. Provide a light, healthy breakfast on test day.
3. Have your child dress comfortable and arrive at
school on time.
4. Send your child off to school with confidence
building words of praise.
5. Remind your child to carefully read directions.
6. Tell your child to check his or her work before
submitting the test.
Moving??
If you know you will be moving over
the summer and not returning to
Laurelwoods Elementary School, please inform the
office. This helps us to plan classes for the fall.
Ice Dawgs
For the remainder of the year, we will be selling
Terra Cotta Cookie’s Ice Dawgs for $2 each, at
second break on Tuesdays. These ice cream
sandwiches are two cookies filled with vanilla ice
cream and still meet the standards of the Food &
Beverage Healthy Food Policy.
Westside BBQ
Lightning Wear
Our graduating students are invited to a grade
9 orientation barbeque on Wednesday, August
31st at Westside Secondary School. The
event will be run by some of the Westside staff,
and student Link Leaders. Along with some
fun group building games, students will be
given their timetables, assigned lockers and
will tour the school to find their classes.
Further details will be sent to you in the mail
this summer.
If you would like to show your school spirit and
buy some clothing, Lightning wear is a great
way to do it! We have partnered with a locally
run family business, Archbold’s. We have set
up an online ordering system that families can
use all year round to buy clothing with the
Laurelwoods logo on them. Just go
to http://www.archbolds.ca/store to login in.
You will need to choose the “Returning
Customer” section. In this section the
username is our email
address: laurelwoods.es@ugdsb.on.ca and the
password is Lightning (capital L). Simply follow
the steps as outlined. If you have any difficulty,
please contact Archbold’s at 1-888-941-6775
or Mr. Johnson at the school at 519-940-3666.
Attention Parents of Intermediate
Students
If you would like to lend a hand to
help prepare for our Grade 8
graduation, please feel free to call
the school or write a note. The
grade 8 students have chosen
“An Evening in Paris” for their
graduation night. The ceremony
will be held on Tuesday, June 28,
2016. The students should arrive at 6:30 pm to
take pictures of one another with their friends,
and the ceremony begins at 7:00 pm sharp in
the gym. Invitations will be sent home. We
suggest that each student bring no more than 5
guests, but please write on the RSVP if you
would like to bring more. Following the
ceremony a reception will be held in the library.
Grades 7’s are invited to arrive at school at
8:00 pm to help us stack the chairs in the gym,
and then they may stay for the dance, which
ends at 10:30 pm. We are all looking forward
to this special night!
Volunteer Appreciation Day
The staff of Laurelwoods would like to thank
those who have volunteered in so many ways
at Laurelwoods Elementary School this year.
Please let us show our thanks at our Volunteer
Appreciation Day on Tuesday, May 17th, 2016.
Invitations have been sent home with the
youngest and only child.
Music Monday
Yearbook Cover Contest
In Canada for the past few years, the first
Monday in May has been dedicated as music
Monday. It is an annual event that brings
together thousands of students, musicians and
community members across Canada to
celebrate the gift of music in our lives. This
year we are pleased to have Mrs. Padgette,
her band members and guitar students from
Westside Secondary School to entertain us.
Parents and family members are welcome to
join us during the morning festivities at 10:00
am. in the gym.
The Yearbook Cover Contest is open to all
students. Please remember to create a portrait
design when creating your masterpiece! The
top 3 entries will be displayed in the yearbook.
Things to consider – Bright and vibrant colours,
creativity, fond memories, big and bold
pictures. Things you might want to include –
Name of the school, 2015 / 2016, school logos
and colours. The contest deadline is Friday,
May 13, 2016. Please remember to put your
name and teacher’s name on the back of your
entry.
Girls’ Basketball Team
Mr. Johnson would like to congratulate the girls’ basketball team on a fine season and tournament!
The girls were able to win half of their games and improve their basketball skills immensely! Each
member of the team should be proud of their team, and individual accomplishments.
Design and Tech Team
Mr. Johnson would like to congratulate the Junior and Intermediate Lego, and Design
and Tech teams on a fine showing at the Board challenge day, held on April 8th, 2016.
All of our teams worked well together, designing structures to perform functions such as:
pushing 'garbage' out of the way, shooting marshmallows, delivering 'supplies', and
launching marshmallows after hitting a barrier. Our Junior design and tech team deserve special
congratulations after finishing second in their division! Way to go Lightning!
Boys’ Basketball Team
After a season filled with overall improvements from all players, the intermediate boys’
basketball team wrapped up their season with a strong showing at their tournament on
Tuesday, April 26th. After winning their first two games, they lost to a very good team in their
third game. The boys should be happy with their efforts as each boy on the team improved
in a number of ways. As a coach, I am proud of their accomplishments and look forward to coaching
them next year. A special thanks to all the parents who were able to drive the students to the away
games. Without your help, the season would not have been possible.
Feedback welcome on draft policies
The Upper Grand District School Board is welcoming public input on draft policies. Currently open for
consultation are draft policies and procedures for school accommodation and boundaries, community
partnerships, smoke-free environment and asthma friendly schools, with input due by May 11, 2016.
There is also a new draft policy and procedures for the handling of public concerns, with an input
deadline of May 30, 2016. Please review the draft documents and submit online feedback at
www.ugdsb.on.ca/policy
Victoria Day Holiday
There will be no classes for students on
Monday, May 23, 2016.
Periodic Head Lice Checks:
While head lice are a nuisance, it is not a communicable disease or health hazard.
Head lice are tiny wingless bugs that live on the head. They are about the size of a sesame seed and
usually grey to reddish-brown in colour. Head lice do not jump, or fly, but can crawl quickly. They are
usually spread by direct head to head contact.
To check for lice, good lighting is important. Head lice move fast and are hard to see. They are
usually found very close to the scalp, at the bottom of the neck and behind the ears. The best way to
look for nits, is to part the hair in small sections, moving from one side of the head to the other.
Please check your children regularly for head lice. Please also let the school know if your child has
lice. If lice are found, please treat your child and remove all the nits. Do not treat anyone with a
head lice product unless you find lice in their hair. Thank you for your help.
Win a Dairy Queen Gift Card:
After your family has read this newsletter, please sign and detach this coupon. This coupon must be
placed in the yellow mailbox in the front hall of the school. A ballot will be drawn each month
indicating the winning family for the month. This month’s draw will be held on Tuesday, May 31,
2016.
Family Name: ___________________________________________________
Child Name: ____________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature: ________________________________________
May 2016
Sun
Mon
Tue
Education Week
“Learn, Lead,
Inspire...Together”
8
Wed
2
Music Monday
Thurs
3
New JK Meet &
Greet - 9:00 am
Scientist in School
Ice Dawgs
9
10
Basketball Finals Westside
Ice Dawgs
Fri
4
Gr. 7 Swimming
11
5
Gr 6. OPP KIDS
Program
Sat
6
7
Pizza Day
Primary Story
Telling - Library
12
13
14
20
21
Pizza Day
Gr. 7 Swimming
Jump Rope kick off
15
16
17
Volunteer Tea
1:30 - 2:30
18
19
Pizza Day
Gr. 7 Swimming
Scientist in School
- Grade 1
Ice Dawgs
22
23
24
25
EQAO - GR 3 & 6
26
27
EQAO - GR 3 & 6
EQAO - GR. 3 & 6
Ice Dawgs
KDN trip to
Andrew’sScenic
Acres
29
30
EQAO - GR. 3 & 6
31
Ice Dawgs
Pizza Day
Grade 7/8’s to
Ottawa
28
Grand Valley
Duck Race