2013-2014 Newsletter #6 February 1, 2014
February is here and with it lots of snow. February is also report card time. Teachers have been busy writing report cards. Report cards go home on February 7 th .
Where there is snow you have snowballs, snow forts, and frigid temperatures. Throwing snowballs is not allowed at school because of the potential safety risk. We remind students every day that snow doesn’t belong to any one person. We ask students to respect other people’s forts and snowmen. We also remind them to keep their hands to themselves and not to play rough. Consequences range from missed recess times all the way to school suspensions.
Palmerston Public School continues to be a busy place. We wish to welcome the following people to our school:

Mrs. Amy Robinson (ECE in Mrs. Verbeek’s Kindergarten class)

Mrs. Meghan Doig (Special Education Teacher)

Miss Laura Graham (Mrs. Stroeder’s class while she is on leave)

Mrs. Kelsey Campbell formerly Miss Pfeffer (Kindergarten Teacher in Mrs. Kerin Harwood’s class)

M. Belair (Mme. Estabrooks’ Grade 1/2 F.I. class until February 14, 2014)

Mme. Roberta Ayles (Mme. Estrabrooks’ Grade 1/2 F.I. class beginning February 18, 2014)

Mrs. Sarah Haanstra (returning from leave to Grade 1/2 F.I. class)
 Mrs. Helm
For all those teachers who are on leave, we send them our best wishes.
In addition, we have two new members to our Palmerston family! Mrs. Estabrooks and her husband welcomed the new arrival of Alexandra Marie Estabrooks. Mrs. Harwood and her husband welcomed the newest member to their family, Clark Eric Harwood. All are happy and healthy.
As a reminder, if you wish to have a hard copy of the school’s newsletter be sure to contact Mrs.
Richenback in the office.

Visitors please register at the school office. This includes parents who come into our school during the day. Your compliance will allow us to know who is in our school.
rd
th
1.
Grade 8 Graduation photos will take place on Friday, February 28 th
.
2.
To add a little school spirit to our school we will be having Cupid’s Day on Friday, February 14 th.
Wear red, white or pink.
3.
Remember: When buses are cancelled:
- no hot dog days/grilled cheese days (will be rescheduled)
- students are dismissed at 3:00 p.m.
4.
A reminder that cell phones and electronic devices are to be used under teachers’ direct supervision for instructional purposes only. If any of these are brought to school, the school will not be responsible for items that are lost, stolen or damaged. Your child must follow the Board’s Computer Use Policy.
Students are to use the school phone to contact parents during the day when it is deemed necessary by their teacher
5.
All students should have indoor running shoes for gym and to keep the classrooms dry and safe.
6.
Please remember to call our attendance line, ext. 100 when your child is going to be absent or late for school.
7.
When you are sending money for milk, pizza, etc. please send the correct amount. We do not always have change to send home.
School starts at 8:55 a.m. There have been too many students coming in late. It is important that students start their day in the right frame of mind. Late students become an interruption.

Just a reminder that parents of our JK students may select to change their child over to the SK French
Immersion program for the upcoming school year. It is best if this decision is made in consultation with the JK classroom teacher.
Please do not park or drop off or pick up children in the Bus Zones at the beginning and end of the school day.
When you pick up or drop off students please park on the street across from the school and not in the staff parking lot. Staff sometimes need to leave for an appointment or workshop at dismissal time and have been blocked in by parent’s vehicles.
Just a reminder of the Family Day holiday coming up on Monday, February 17 th
. All schools in the
Upper Grand D.S.B including Palmerston PS will be closed. Enjoy the day with your family.
What do we do at school on “No Bus” days?
Many parents wonder what we do at school on those days when the buses don’t run due to inclement weather but theschool is open. While there is a general perception that nothing educational happens, we do have strategies in place designed to ensure that student learning continues. We don’t do new curriculum work so that the students who can’t get here fall behind.
It is your decision to determine if it is safe for your children to go to school.
It is important that children come to school prepared for the conditions of the day. All students should wear a hat, mittens, proper boots and a warm coat/snowsuit. Keeping an extra pair of mittens and socks in your child’s backpack in case of wet conditions is good planning.

Heather Galoska – Elementary Curriculum Leader
With the dip in Provincial and Local EQAO results in Primary and Junior mathematics this year, Upper
Grand is looking to do everything we can to reverse this trend. Although test scores are an important benchmark for public education, supporting students in being confident, efficient, fluent, and accurate mathematicians is our ultimate goal. So how can we get there? How can we best support student learning in mathematics?
As a Board, we’ve identified four main areas that we are focusing on this year that we believe will make the most significant impact on student learning – Diagnostic Assessment, Consolidation of Lessons,
Student Independent Practice, and the Classroom Environment.
Diagnostic Assessment
If you want to reach a goal, you have to have a plan. And if you want to make an effective plan, you have to figure out from where you are starting. Diagnostic assessment (or assessment for learning) is exactly that – figuring out where students are starting from in their learning. Teachers use diagnostic assessment data to plan the course of learning for their students – taking time on concepts where there is an identified need, and spending less time on areas of strength in regards to the curriculum. It informs teachers on what small groups they may need to bring together for some targeted instruction so that everyone’s learning needs are met to achieve the Ontario Curriculum expectations.
Diagnostic assessments can take many forms – such as traditional tests or quizzes, student-teacher conferences, a page from a textbook, a math game, a math journal – or a combination of any of the above.
None of it is used to generate report card grades; it is simply to inform the teacher of each student’s strengths and needs so that they can make an informed plan.
Consolidation
In a three-part math lesson, consolidation is the pivotal moment when the teacher brings together the learning for his or her students. Quite often student work will be shared, and this is the time for the teacher to explain and model concepts. All conversation and teaching are focused on the learning goal of the day as, through student work and teacher examples, the teacher brings students to the point of understanding and confidence with a particular mathematical concept.
Independent Practice
“Learning floats on a sea of talk” is a cornerstone philosophy of current educational practice – and is one of the reasons the three-part math lesson sets aside time for students to work with partners and participate in classroom discussions about the math they are learning. However, we know that, although collaborative learning serves a very high purpose, there comes a time when students must be able to demonstrate their mathematical understanding on their own.
The end of every math lesson finishes with significant time for students to practice what they’ve learned in the lesson by themselves. The teacher is there for support if needed, but independent practice is part of the consolidation of the learning – it is the time for students to practice the skills and habits of mind they are developing, ask questions, and feel comfortable with the new material.

Classroom Environment
Every classroom is unique space, reflective of the classroom community that works in there each day.
It is important that every student feel safe, welcome, accepted, and respected within those four walls every day. Without it, learning can’t happen. Building classroom communities, full of diverse people and personalities, is no small challenge, and we are constantly striving to create and maintain this dynamic classroom space where every student feels happy and challenged.
Hand in hand with classroom community is the classroom space itself. Is the classroom a welcoming space? Are the things posted on the walls helpful for students? Is it easy for different types of learning to happen in the space? Is the classroom space inspiring? Does the classroom reflect the community within it?
These are the kinds of questions teachers ask themselves when designing classroom space. We want our classroom spaces to send a message to everyone who walks through the doors – Hey! Great learning happens here!

MONDAY
3 Day 5
Kindergarten Registration
TUESDAY
4 Day 1
Kindergarten Registration
Pizza Day
WEDNESDAY
5 Day 2
Kindergarten Registration
Grilled Cheese
Reports Go Home
THURSDAY
6 Day 3
Kindergarten Registration
FRIDAY
7 Day 4
Kindergarten Registration
17
FAMILY DAY
24 Day 4
School Council meeting –
6:00 p.m. Guest Speaker –
6:30 p.m. meeting
Pizza Day
Gr. 7/8 Math Bridges after school program 3:30 –
5:00 p.m.
18 Day 5
Pizza Day
Gr. 7/8 Math Bridges after school program 3:30 –
5:00 p.m.
25 Day 5
Pizza Day
Gr. 7/8 Math Bridges after school program 3:30 –
5:00 p.m.
12 Day 2 13 Day 3
19 Day 1
Hot Dogs
26 Day 1
Anti-Bullying Pink Shirt Day
20 Day 2
Junior Floor Hockey
Tournament
Intermediate Ski Trip
27 Day 2
14 Day 4
Cupid’s Day - wear red, white and/or pink
21 Day 3
28 Day 3
Gr. 8 Graduation photos

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