UPPER GRAND
District School Board
530 Prospect Street, Box 430, Palmerston, ON, N0G 2P0
519-343-3520
“Be The BEST That You Can Be”
“Fais De Ton Mieux”
2015-2016
Newsletter #2
October 1, 2015
MESSAGE FROM ADMINISTRATION
October promises to be another exciting month here at Palmerston P.S.!
Our school has a strong commitment to helping our students develop healthy life styles. Our Primary
grades are doing daily physical activity every day. Mrs. Goddard is coordinating a healthy meal program that
all of our 434 students enjoy. We continue to help our students make good, healthy choices through the 3-Up,
2-Down program (more sleep, physical activity, fruits and vegetables and less screen time and sugary or junk
food). We will work with Public Health nurse Joan Heath to run a “Healthy Schools” group of parents, students
and staff. We have some interested volunteers, but please let us know if you are interested in joining this
initiative.
We also are committed to improving our students’ learning and achievement. We are helping our
students to become more fluent readers and to clearly understand what they are reading. Our teachers are
using levelled books that are not too easy and not too hard, but just right, to work with small groups. We
purchased licenses for RAZ Kids and Reading A-Z for junior and primary classroom teachers. Teachers have set
up their students so they can practise reading and answering questions about the stories at home and school.
Your support in reading with and to your children every night is very helpful and much appreciated. While we
realize that families are very busy and your family time is important, our children will become better readers
faster with lots of practice. Even 15 minutes a day makes such a difference in their confidence as readers.
In Mathematics our students from grades one to eight completed confidence building units and a unit on
mental math strategies in September. This year our classroom teachers are using JUMP Math with a problemsolving focus and also direct instruction. Our students work in practice books to help them learn to do
mathematics independently. Our school has been supported in this pilot project by the UGDSB senior
administration and the Program Department.
Please remember that school begins at 8:55 a.m. It certainly helps your child to start the day more
positively when he/she arrives on time.
Palmerston Public School staff wish you an enjoyable October and a joyful Thanksgiving. Please keep
the lines of communication open and do not hesitate to call your child’s teacher or arrange a meeting with
your if you have any questions, concerns or compliments. We all like to hear some positive messages and I
have heard teachers make some good news, ‘sunshine’ calls, as well as those other types of calls when your
support and help are requested. Our office doors are always open if you have a concern, question or a
suggestion.
Wilma Shannon
Principal
Shannon Spike
Vice-Principal
SCHOOL PICTURES
Individual and class pictures will be taken on Friday, November 6th.
PIZZA
We will not be having pizza lunches until further notice.
OPEN COMMUNICATION
Our staff here at Palmerston feel that open communication between home and school is vital in order
for all our children to be successful. Parents are encouraged to inform the teacher of any concerns or
information about your child.
Our staff are very busy at the beginning of the day meeting our children as they arrive at school
preparing for lessons that begin as soon as all the children are in their classes. In order to ensure that we can
begin our teaching time immediately after entrance and that we are not overcrowding our halls, we ask that
all parents remain outside the school doors during this busy time. If you wish to meet with a teacher we
request that you do not just drop by their classroom in the morning or during the school day but that you call
to set up an appointment. We thank you for your support and understanding concerning this issue.
PETS FREE ZONE
Drop off and pick-up times are busy and there are many children on the hard top at those times. For
safety reasons, we ask that our parents and caretakers leave their pets at home when they drop off or pick up
their children at school. Your co-operation to ensure everyone’s safety is appreciated.
P.A. DAY ON OCTOBER 30th
October 30th is a PA Day. There is no school for students.
OTHER
»
Milk tickets can be purchased when required. Tickets are sold in sheets of 10 chocolate or 10 white for
a cost of $7.00. Milk is available at both nutrition breaks.
»
When sending money to school with your child please try to send the correct change.
»
Bicycle helmets are mandatory for children riding bikes. A potential hazard exists when students wear
bicycle helmets when playing on playground equipment. Please reinforce with your children the
dangers and hazards associated with bicycle helmets being worn when playing on playground
equipment.
SCHOOL COUNCIL
PPS Parent Council held its first meeting on Monday, September 28th. We had 15 parents attend, as
well as Wilma Shannon and Shannon Spike. We are excited to start a new year as a council, especially our
Fresh from the Farm fundraiser and our Parent event that will focus on writing with our kids. The Executive
members include Brenda Duimering, Chair; Kelly Stanners, Vice Chair; Liisa Toose, Secretary; Karen Goddard,
Treasurer; and Barb Wakeford, Environmental Chair. Meetings have now changed to Thursdays, so come on
out to our next meeting on Thursday, October 22nd at 6:30 pm in the library.
BUSES AND INCLEMENT WEATHER
Board Policy – Parents
It is a parent’s responsibility to determine whether or not it is safe for their students to leave for school
in inclement or severe weather. A parent must be aware of the following:
a) When a bus does not travel a route in the morning due to fog, ice or snow conditions, it will not travel
that route in the afternoon.
b) If a parent elects to drive their pupils to school, they are responsible for their pupils’ pick-up at
dismissal time. Students will be dismissed at 3:00 p.m. School ends at 3:00 p.m. on a “no bus” day.
c) Buses will not be delayed, buses will either run or be cancelled. Students will not be sent home early
during inclement weather.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. Each driver is ultimately responsible for deciding if it is safe to complete his or her route. If they decide
to cancel or delay their route, they will ensure that every effort is made to inform parents of their
decision.
2. We suggest that if you are planning a special occasion for your son/daughter and wish other
classmates/friends to attend that you arrange to pick up everyone at the end of the day. Please make
arrangements prior to the end of the day of the event.
3. Please let us know if your child is not going home on the bus. Notification to the office is important. If
we do not have a note or call then we will send them home on the bus.
BUS TRANSFER REQUESTS
Our Board Transportation Policy does not permit bus students to ride a different bus at the end of the
day for various reasons (sleepover, birthday parties, etc.). Non-bus students are not permitted to ride a bus at
any time.
BUS LOADING AND UNLOADING
As you are aware, the school zone for Palmerston P.S. is a very busy place in the morning (8:30 a.m.)
and at the end of the day (3:15 p.m.). We have students crossing the street at the crossing guard, in front of
the school by the baseball diamond and in good weather we have students riding their bikes to school using
this crossing with the walkers. While buses are loading and unloading there is traffic in front of the school, as
well as parents who are dropping off/picking up their children. To ensure the safety of the students we need
your help and in order to keep this area safe for our students, we have the following requests and reminders
for our students, parents and neighbours:
1. Park in the Palmerston Evangelical Missionary Church parking lot and walk down the sidewalk if you
are dropping off or picking up students.
2. Please do not ask your child to enter the vehicle from the driver side facing oncoming traffic, and do
not load the vehicle at the crosswalk. Parents set the example for road safety.
3. Please do not cross the street except at the designated area. Students should not be called to a vehicle
mid block, and we ask parents to use the crosswalk to set a positive safe example for all of our
students.
4. Bikes must be walked across the street in the crossing area and along the sidewalk in front of the
school.
5. Students must follow the directions of the crossing guards and the staff members on duty. We ask
parents to do the same as a positive model.
REMINDER: Cars need to stop when the buses are flashing their red lights. Failure to do so could result in a
fine.
Thank you for your support in this matter.
RECESS OUTDOOR TIMES
The morning and afternoon recesses are an opportunity for students to “burn off” some of their
energy after being in class. Often the fresh air will make a child feel better when they are “stuffed up” with a
cold. If a child is sick, the best place for this child is at home. Thanks for your cooperation.
CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION POLICY & PROGRAM
The Upper Grand District School Board places a high priority on the safety of our students. The Child
Abuse Prevention Policy is evidence of our commitment to this priority. The following is a quote from the
policy:
“Every citizen in the community shares a responsibility for our children. School officials and teachers
share this collective community responsibility for creating safe and nurturing environments for children. Under
the Child and Family Services Act, this responsibility includes the legal requirement to report to the local
Children’s Aid Society any suspected child abuse or other situations where a child may be in need of protection.
Teachers and other Board employees have a special opportunity to know and understand children during their
most influential years of development. They are in a unique position to be able to see early signs of
maltreatment, and to know or hear about the abuse and neglect that is often suffered by children.”
As required in the Policy, we will be teaching age-appropriate lessons to help our students identify
abuse and protect themselves from abusive situations. The goal is to provide children with the tools they need
to keep themselves safe. The lessons cover a broad range of safety issues including bullying, stranger danger
and abuse by a known and trusted adult.
These lessons will occur during the school year. For grades one, three and five, the lessons will be team
taught by our Child and Youth Counselor and classroom teachers. There is no formal program in grades two,
four and six, although the safety concepts are reviewed by classroom teachers informally. Students in grades
7 and 8 will also participate in a Red Cross program presented by the school’s Child & Youth Counsellor
entitled “It’s Not Your Fault”. These two hour presentations will occur in homeroom classes.
We encourage you to discuss with your child at home, the concepts taught in the Child Abuse
Prevention Curriculum.
For more information regarding the Child Abuse Prevention Policy and/or Programs please contact Jill
Hope, Child and Youth Counselor.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
1
THURSDAY
Day 3
Junior Soccer Tournament
5
Day 5
12
Day 3
FRIDAY
2
Day 4
9
Day 4
Terry Fox Run
6
Day 1
7
Day 2
8
13
Day 5
14
Day 1
15
Day 2
16
Day 3
Day 3
Intermediate Boys’ Soccer
Tournament
Intermediate Girls’ Soccer
Tournament
THANKSGIVING
19
Day 4
20
Day 5
21
Day 1
22
Day 2
23
26
Day 4
27
Day 5
28
Day 1
29
Day 2
30
School Council Meeting
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
P.A. DAY
Upper Grand District School Board
Upper Grand District School Board: Request for Consent
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) came into force on July 1, 2014. As a result, the
Upper Grand District School Board, would like to ensure that we have your consent to receive
newsletters, school and Board updates, announcements, event invitations, and other
electronic messages which may contain advertising or promotions regarding school
fundraisers, field trips, the sale of yearbooks, student pictures, uniforms, books, prom or
dance tickets, or similar events and offers.
If you wish to receive the above communications from us, please visit our CASL registration
website at:
www.ugdsb.on.ca/CASL
By registering your email on this webpage you will receive electronic communication from the
school which may or may not contain commercial electronic messages as described above. If
consent is not provided, you will not receive electronic messages containing commercial
content and may find it more difficult to be aware of the activities that take place in school,
and which your child may have an interest in participating.
If you have any questions or if you wish to withdraw your consent at any time, please visit the
same site and click on “Unsubscribe” to remove your name from our contact list.
For additional information on Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation you may visit our board’s
website at www.ugdsb.on.ca.
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation: What Do Parents /
Guardians Need to Know?
What is Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation?
On July 1, 2014, Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL) came into effect. Under the legislation, Board staff and
Trustees must not send commercial electronic messages (CEMs) that encourage recipients to participate in
any commercial activity, even if it is not-for-profit, unless they have the recipient’s prior consent.
What are commercial electronic messages?
A CEM is an electronic message whose purpose is to encourage commercial activity. CEMs include emails or
text messages to inform parents and community members of promotions, advertising or offers for sale, such
as school pictures, field trips, fun fairs, pizza or hot dog days, yearbooks or fundraising for school. A message
is also considered a CEM when it redirects the recipient to a website that has commercial content (e.g. an
email directing someone to the fundraising page on the school website). Electronic messages that have no
commercial content, but are for informational purposes, e.g. student progress or attendance information,
notice of a community meeting, can be sent without the recipient’s prior consent.
How does CASL apply to me?
The Board is required to comply with the Legislation. As a parent, we sometimes communicate to you by
email or text messages, in order to let you know about activities at the school. If these activities involve
promotions, advertising or offers for sale, such as school pictures, field trips, fun fairs, pizza or hot dog days,
yearbooks or fundraising for school, we are required to get your consent before such commercial electronic
messages (CEMs) are sent.
How can I give consent?
At the start of each school year, an information form will be sent home with students directing parents and
guardians to our CASL website to provide consent.
What happens if I do not provide consent?
If consent is not provided, you will not receive electronic messages containing commercial content and may
find it more difficult to be aware of the activities that take place in school, and which your child may have an
interest in participating.
How can I withdraw my consent?
You can withdraw your consent by unsubscribing at any time. Board staff will act within 10 days to
unsubscribe you from receiving CEMs.
Your consent is valid until revoked.
How long is my consent valid?
Whom do I contact if I need more information?
For more information, you may contact the Communications department at 519-822-4420 x 725. You may also
contact the Freedom of Information Officer at 519-822-442- x 721.
BLUE JAY FEVER
Have you caught Blue Jay Fever yet, or are you already thinking about the NHL pre-season? Maybe you’re
not a sports enthusiast, and instead are busy taking your children to dance, swimming or music lessons.
Whatever the case, why not incorporate math into these afterschool activities? Here are some quick and easy
connections to share with your children on those early mornings, after school or late night drives that connect
math to our everyday lives.
1. Batting average
This number tells fans how many times a player gets a hit compared to the amount of times he gets up
to bat. Simple division is used to figure out a batting average. For each game divide the number of hits
the player gets by the number of times he is at bat. The answer should result in a decimal answer.
(For example: Bautista gets up to bat 8 times, but he only hits 5 times. The equation would be 5
divided by 8 giving a batting average of 0.625.)
2. Staying out of the penalty box
Which fraction is largest: 5/4, 4/3, 3/2 or 2/1? If the Leafs have a 5 on 4 advantage, and Phaneuf has to
decide whether to draw an opponent away from the play, it's important for him to know that 4/3 is a
larger fraction than 5/4. Math tells us that 4 skaters have a better advantage over 3 than 5 skaters have
over 4.
3. Patterns in Music
Musical pieces often have repeating choruses or bars, similar to patterns. In mathematics, we look for
patterns to explain and predict the unknown. Music uses similar strategies. When looking at a musical
piece, musicians look for notes they recognize to find notes that are less familiar. In this way, notes
relate to each other. Relationships are fundamental to mathematics and create an interesting link
between music and math. Listen carefully to the music next time. You’ll definitely hear the patterns!
4. Swimmingly Mathematical
Speed of swim (measurement of distance and time), surface area of palm (area measurement of odd
shape), kicking angle of the legs (trigonometry, angle), rhythm of the stroke (sequence, counting,
pattern sector), and breathing (volume of air required, space measurement) are all about the math!
5
The Science of Dance
There’s the symmetry (between arms and legs, but also between bodies and within a single body), counting,
rhythm, momentum, mass, connection, sequence, and shape. Every area of math can be expressed with the
human body.
Source: https://www.google.ca
Go Math Go! Go Math Go! Go Math Go! Go Math Go! Go Math Go! Go Math Go! Go Math Go!
Talking About Mental Health!
Welcome to the new school year! My name is Dr. Lynn Woodford and I am the Mental Health and Addiction
Lead for the school board. Every month I write a column for school newsletters about mental health and
provide strategies and resources for families.
Hope that the transition back to school has been a positive one for you and your family. If your child or youth
is experiencing any challenges with the transition back to school, please talk to your child or youth’s teacher or
administrator.
The UGDSB has many resources available on its website: http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/ for parents and students
to access. To access these resources: click on the Parent tab then click on the Mental Health Tab. There is also
a Student tab with a Mental Health tab, which you can share with your children and youth.
Once you are on site, you will find information about local mental health and addiction resources:
•
Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington Dufferin Branch (CMHA WWD)
o To access Addictions, Mental Health (including eating disorders and first episode psychosis) and
Crisis Services (Guelph/Wellington for Children/Youth and Guelph/Wellington/Dufferin for Adults)
contact:
 HERE247 at 1 844 437 3247 (1 844 HERE247)
 www.here247.ca
o Walk in Services on Tuesdays for Children/Youth 1:30- 7:00
 485 Silvercreek Pkwy, Guelph
o wwd.cmha.ca
•
Dufferin Child and Family Services (Services for Children/Youth in Dufferin County)
o To access Addictions, Mental Health and Crisis Services
 519-941-1530
o Talk in Services on Tuesdays 1:00- 7:00
 655 Riddell Road, Orangeville
o http://dcafs.on.ca/
There is an Access to Mental Health Resources document that provides more details about counselling and
supports in Guelph Wellington Dufferin.
There are also links to useful websites with information for parents about mental health and addictions such
as:
•
•
Kids Help Phone (1 800 668 6868) www.KidsHelpPhone.ca provides phone and web counselling for
youth under the age of 20. Support is free, 24/7, anonymous and confidential.
The ABCs of Mental Health http://www.hincksdellcrest.org/ABC/Welcome
provides information related to different mental health concerns, according to developmental ages.
Hope these resources are helpful for you and your families. Hope you have a wonderful fall!
Dr. Lynn Woodford is the Mental Health and Addiction Lead for Upper Grand District School Board
Monthly Environmental Newsletter Inserts
October's Environmental Theme: PROTECT OUR EARTH
This year we will challenge ourselves to LIVE green every day, because one small change one day at
a time adds up to a world of difference. The environmental theme for September is sustainability.
‘Sustainability’ means protecting our Earth and using Earth's natural resources carefully, like forests,
water, minerals, and fossil fuels.
Part of living in a sustainable way is using, buying and eating only what you really need. This saves
resources and cuts down on waste too. For example, do you really need a new pencil case or pencil
crayons or a brand new eraser every year, or do your old ones still work? Do you throw your
leftover lunch items in the garbage at school, or do you take them home and eat them for a snack
after school? Do you buy vintage clothing or wear hand-me downs? Do you eat meat every day, or
do you eat vegetarian at least once a week, like those who have accepted the 'Meatless Monday
Canada' challenge.
To find out how carefully you use the Earth's resources, Google the following words: “zero footprint
calculator” and take the footprint calculator quiz. It will tell you how many Earths we would need to
survive if everyone lived like you!
Slogan of the month: Sustainability – choosing to live better with less!