St. Sofia Byzantine Catholic School Sharing, Caring and Preparing ШКОЛА СВЯТОЇ СОФІЇ St. Sofia School Virtue of the Month c/o St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Learning Centre 3566 South Common Court Mississauga, ON L5L 2B1 CONSCIENCE Tel: 905-625-0823 Fax: 905-412-3073 Website: www.dpcdsb.org/SOFIA Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. Principal P. Kasij Vice-Principal I. Sauvé Secretaries N. Vereshchak M. van Putten Superintendent C. Blanchard 905-890-1221 Parish Priests Rt. Rev. Dr. Roman Pankiw, Pastor Dean Rev. Roman Trynoga, Assistant St. Mary’s Church 905-279-9387 Mitred Archpriest Roman Galadza, Pastor O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. St. Elias Church 905-459-8888 Trustees Brampton: A. da Silva D. D’Souza S. Xaviour Caledon: F. Di Cosola Dates to Know... 416-706-5679 905-495-3377 416-705-1030 905-951-8898 Mississauga: M. Pascucci 905-302-3096 mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org S. Hobin 905-301-1210 A. Abbruscato 416-459-0126 T. Thomas 416-845-8225 L. del Rosario 905-542-8747 B. Iannicca 905-270-0536 E. O’Toole 905-812-5163 November 2014 Nov 11 - Remembrance Day Ceremony, 10:30 a.m. All welcome! Nov 11 - Progress Reports sent home with students Nov 12 - Photo Re-take Day Nov 13 - Parent-Teacher Interview Evening until 8:30 p.m. Nov 14— Professional Development Day - There will be NO school for students this day. Nov 16 - 22 - Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week Nov 17—Catholic School Council Meeting at 7:00 pm Nov 21 - Gr. 7’s Hep.B and Men. C vaccinations & Gr. 8 girls HPV vaccinations Nov 24 - First Solemn Holy Communion Meeting, 7:00 p.m. Nov 25 - Memorial service for Holodomor Victims, 9:45 a.m. May 3/15 First Solemn Holy Communion, 11:00 a.m. St. Mary’s. In this issue: November’s Virtue Bullying Awareness & Prevention Initiatives Progress Report Cards Criminal Reference Checks FSL Programs—SK and Grade 4 Student Health & Safety Catholic School Council Green Team Update Library News Math @ Home November’s Virtue: Conscience During the month of November, we celebrate the virtue of Conscience. Conscience is the voice of God within us. A developed conscience helps us to make decisions that encourage and support truly loving relationships. We trust that the common Spirit we share inspires us and guides us to make good decisions if we allow our conscience to be well-formed. A person of conscience allows prayer and scripture to influence him/her. A Person of Conscience… Chooses the “right thing” and feels good about it Can see how his/her actions may hurt others Admits his/her actions may hurt others Says “sorry” and tries to make up for mistakes Keeps promises A Prayer for Conscience Gracious and merciful God of all creation, During this season of remembrance, we remember how you have gifted us with free will, You have given us the virtue of conscience in order to bring to life your plan for a safe, caring, inclusive community here at St. Sofia. May your virtue of conscience free us to make decisions that serve the good of all your people. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who lived to show us your way. AMEN. REMEMBRANCE DAY “Lest We Forget” On Tuesday, November 11, the staff and students at St. Sofia School will honour, remember, and pray for those who fought for and gave their lives for our peace and freedom. Every year on November 11, Canadians pause in a moment of silence to honour and remember the men and women who have served, and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict and peace. We remember the more than 1,500,000 Canadians who have served throughout our nation’s history and the more than 118,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice. All are welcome to join us on November 11th, 10:30am In Flanders Fields In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders Fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high. If we break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders Fields. By John McCrae METROPOLITAN ANDREY SHEPTYTSKYJ On November 1st, our school honoured and prayed for Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyj. His great leadership and determination helped to renew the Ukrainian Catholic Church. He was a true pastor to his people. God grant him eternal rest. Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyj is a man to be honored and emulated. He dedicated his life to God, to the Church and to the Ukrainian culture and heritage. He showed his great love for the Ukrainian people (and people of all nationalities as well) especially the students and the young people. His deeds should inspire our lives. By following his example we can dedicate our lives to God’s laws and His love. We can love and honour our Ukrainian ancestry. We can help maintain our Ukrainian culture by learning the Ukrainian language and other languages (after all, Metropolitan Andrey spoke more than ten languages). We can support Ukrainian organizations by participating in their work and by helping those people in need. After learning the ways in which Metropolitan Andrey lived his life fully and wisely, we, too, can make wiser choices to give meaning to our lives and to live our lives fully. To help us make wiser choices Metropolitan Andrey wrote a prayer about the Holy Wisdom of God. We have to remember that Holy Wisdom is also called Saint Sofia. And the Holy Wisdom of God has a special meaning for us today in this school. 80th COMMEMORATION of the HOLODOMOR FAMINE—GENOCIDE in UKRAINE On Tuesday, November 25, the students will gather in the cafetorium to commemorate the Great Famine in Ukraine in 1932-1933. All are welcome to attend at 9:45 a.m. Eighty years ago, millions of Ukrainians were deliberately starved to death. This engineered famine is known as Holodomor, which means “inflicting death by starvation”. Ukraine was a republic of the Soviet Union in 1932-33. The Communist regime first took the people's land, then seized all the grain in Ukraine. In many areas, it confiscated all other food as well, leaving farmers and their families with nothing to eat. The harvest had been plentiful, but the Ukrainian people were forbidden from keeping any of it, and millions of Ukrainians starved while Soviet authorities sold the grain or exported it abroad. During the Holodomor and for seventy years afterwards, the USSR denied the famine. It was unlawful to mention it. Many in the West, especially those sympathetic to the Communist regime, chose to disbelieve accounts of intentional starvation. With the collapse of the USSR in 1991, archives were opened for the first time for Holodomor researchers. Through Acts of Parliament, the governments of Canada and five provinces, including Ontario, recognize this act as genocide and set aside a day of remembrance for the millions who were starved to death, many of whom were children. In many schools across Canada, this is done on the 4th Friday in November. Many survivors have descendants now living in Canada. Source: http://holodomor.powweb.com/education/events-and-activities/holodomor-memorial-day.html NOVEMBER PROGRESS REPORT CARDS With the release of Growing Success, Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools (2010), a number of changes have occurred in reporting practices in elementary schools, particularly affecting students in grades one through eight. There no longer are three report cards per year. Instead, students in grades one through eight will be receiving a progress report to be sent home on November 11, 2014, and two provincial report cards to be sent home on February 3, 2015 and June 24, 2015. Full-Day Kindergarten students will receive their report cards in June. Parents of Full-Day Kindergarten students will be provided with opportunities to meet with their child’s teacher to discuss progress during each reporting period. The parent, teacher, student conferences for grades 1– 8, as requested by the classroom teacher, are scheduled for the evening of Thursday, November 13, 2014. However, you are encouraged to contact your child(ren)’s teacher at any time you require clarification, or if you have questions or concerns about your child’s progress. Teachers will endeavour to meet with ALL parents during Term 1 reporting and then, on a needs, or by request basis for the Term 2. A HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING OF KEY ISSUES RELATED TO CATHOLIC EDUCATION How long have Catholic separate schools been educating Catholic children and contributing to the public good in Ontario? For about 170 years. In the early 1800s there were separate schools in many cities, towns and townships. In Peel, three separate schools opened before Confederation (1867): St. James in Malton in the 1830s, St. John’s Agriculture College (1861) and St. Patrick (1861), both in Wildfield. Why did the United Legislature of Canada East and Canada West keep improving separate school legislation? It responded to Catholic parents, trustees, bishops and priests, editors of the four Catholic newspapers, members of the business and professional world, all of who argued for legal and financial rights for separate schools. A great resource for you to explore… “OUR STORY, OUR TRADITION, OUR JOURNEY” ISBN 978-0-92138-50 EXTENDED FRENCH INFORMATION MEETING Parent(s)/guardians, who wish to enroll their Grade 4 child in Grade 5 Extended French class for September 2015 are invited to attend an information meeting at: St. Thomas More Catholic School 3270 Tomken Road, Mississauga, Ontario 905 279-6472 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION 2015—2016 FOR Registration for Full-Day Kindergarten for 20152016 will take place at St. Sofia on: Monday, January 26, 2015 — 7:00 p.m.—9:00 p.m. ** Wednesday, January 28, 2015 — 9:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m. Thursday, January 29, 2015 — 9:00 a.m.— 3:00 p.m. Friday, January 30, 2015 — 9:00 a.m.— 3:00 p.m. ** Snow Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2015 — 7pm—9pm Thursday, January 15, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. For more information about registration and the Full-Day Kindergarten program, call 905-277-0990 or visit www.dpcdsb.org The deadline for submission of completed applications for the Extended French program for the 2015-2016 school year will be by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 17, 2015. GRADE 1 FRENCH IMMERSION As a parent/guardian of a child in Dufferin-Peel Senior/Year 2 Kindergarten classroom, parents may wish to consider the French Immersion program as a possibility for Grade 1 in September 2015. French Immersion is a program in which 90% of the Grade 1 instruction is delivered in French. Instruction in English is added in later years. Transportation is NOT provided for students. It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to transport their children to and from the French Immersion Centre. A letter was sent home with Senior Kindergarten students inviting families to apply for their child’s placement in French Immersion Grade 1, beginning September 2015. French Immersion sites are located in various schools in Dufferin-Peel. Please check this letter for further details about the application process and deadlines. French Immersion Centres Session Location Date and Time St. Gertrude St. Pio of Pietrelcina St. Gertrude Wednesday, November 26, 2014 7:00 p.m. Our Lady of Providence St. Angela Merici St. Joachim Our Lady of Providence Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Divine Mercy St. Elizabeth Seton St. Margaret of Scotland St. Margaret of Scotland Thursday, November 27, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Neighbourhood Policing Unit Our NPU officers have been assigned to liaise with elementary school principals in the Region of Peel once again this year. Peel Police are committed to continuing to strengthen partnerships with schools. The officer assigned to St. Sofia is Constable Stephen Lancia. He visits our school regularly and does presentations for students and staff. Once again this year, our school Youth Education Officer, Constable Lisa Rumley-Leo will do presentations on timely topics such as bullying prevention, Internet and personal safety as well as making safe choices. Fire Drills & Lockdown We are required to conduct three fire drills in the fall and three in the spring. We are also required to practice two lockdown drills during the year. Lockdown drills involve students moving away from the classroom door to a location within the classroom away from windows. Lights are turned off and doors are locked. These practices are to ensure that students and staff are prepared in case we should need to go into lockdown. Lockdown would be initiated by police and/ or board personnel. Mandatory Criminal Reference Checks for Volunteers According to Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board General Administrative Procedures 318.00 801.00 14.05, Criminal Background Check (CRC) including a Vulnerable Sector Police Records Search is required for ALL volunteers that will come into direct and regular contact with students. Parents/Guardians/Volunteers who wish to assist with supervision of educational excursions (field trips) are also expected to have completed a Criminal Background Check and Vulnerable Sector Search. Volunteers who have previously submitted a valid CRC will be required to complete an Annual Offence Declaration each September. See our school secretary, Pani Vereshchak for more information. The principal is required to report to the Superintendent of Human Resources any charges or convictions listed on the Criminal Background Check of the Offence Declaration. Vulnerable sector forms are available from our school office and require P. Kasij’s approval prior to processing by Peel Regional Police. Due to the high volume of requests, Peel Regional Police do require 3—6 weeks for processing. CRC’s previously obtained for community organizations e.g. Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, soccer, hockey and the like are NOT acceptable for our purposes. A separate and new CRC specific to the school is required. These new policies will have direct impact upon teachers’ ability to plan and facilitate educational excursions for your son/daughter. Parents play an integral role to help augment learning experiences. If interested, don’t delay in applying for a Vulnerable Sector/Criminal Reference Check. Examples of volunteer experience requiring Vulnerable Sector (Criminal Reference Checks): Catholic School Council Class excursions (field trips) Local community walk (e.g. Terry Fox) In-class support Book Fair Library help Pizza Day Dance-a-thons Helping with school socials Kindergarten Play-Day E.g. At church after liturgies Gr. 1—8 Play-Day We need you! Coaching Driving Athletic teams to tournaments and meets INTERMEDIATE VOLLEYBALL Over the past two months, our Intermediate boys and girls volleyball teams have been waking up early and giving up recesses to practice daily. Their hard work and effort has really paid off. Both teams have worked to refine and develop their skills and strategies in this very competitive sport. A special thanks to the coaches—Pahn Kopach, Pani Desimone, Pani Tetrault and Mme. Constantino-Dinis for their unwavering commitment and belief in the students! Boys Team: Peter B., Roman D., Nicholas D., Peter J., Roman K., Danylo K., Alexander M., William M., Peter R., Michael S., and Matthew T. Girls Team: Alexandra B., Alexa G., Larisa H., Alexandra H., Magdalena H., Melanie L., Catherine M., Marta O., Sophia S., Natalia S., Christina T., and Olena U. SCHOOL YARD SAFETY Rough play on the schoolyard can lead to injuries. Pushing, shoving, play fighting are forms of unacceptable play that compromise student safety. Please reinforce with your children the “keep your hands and feet to yourself” rule. To encourage appropriate and safe play, soft-skinned, foam balls are being provided for use by our students during recess. Vacations During the School Year The expectation is to have students in school for the full school year — September to June. Teachers have a great deal of curriculum to cover and need sufficient time to properly assess and evaluate student learning. Please make all efforts to refrain from booking holidays during the school year. Your consideration, cooperation and attention to this matter is greatly appreciated. STUDENT COUNCIL Introducing his year’s Student Council… MELANIE L. ALEKSA G. MAKSYM M. PETRO D. CHRISTINA T. MATTHEW P. CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL 2014-2015 CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL EXECUTIVE TRAINING: On Saturday, November 1, 2014, members of the executive council attended a Training Session for Catholic School Councils, at St. Joseph S. S., to help members clarify roles and responsibilities of the School Council. This is an excellent opportunity to foster relationships with other parent representatives on School Councils. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF SCHOOL COUNCIL: Catholic School Councils are an integral part of the school community, working in partnership with home, school and parish. Examples of some of the initiatives supported by school council at St. Sofia include organization of pizza days, support of the St. Nicholas concert, fundraising events, to name a few. The three goals and objectives of School Council are to: 1) Support school administration and staff to augment and supplement school curriculum needs such as literacy and numeracy initiatives; 2) Support the efforts of extra-curricular activities; and 3) Facilitate open communication and sharing of information within School Council and to the general OUR UPCOMING MEETING is on November 17th at 7:00 P.M.in the Computer Lab - ALL ARE WELCOME!! FOOD ALLERGIES Each year, attention is drawn to the fact that in our school we have students who suffer from food allergies. The most common of the food allergies is the “peanut allergy.” For students who have this severe allergy, it can be a life-threatening situation. While we cannot guarantee that food containing certain allergens is never brought to school, we do request that parents, especially those whose children are in classes with anaphylactic children, cooperate and refrain from sending potentially dangerous food items to school (items with nuts, peanuts or made with peanut oil). Thank you for your cooperation and serious attention to making St. Sofia School an “allergy-safe” environment. Parents please advise school staff if your child’s medical needs have changed or if he/she has developed any allergies of which we need to be aware. ST. SOFIA GREEN TEAM WASTE REDUCTION WEEK A GREAT SUCCESS! The Green Team is happy to report that the students of St. Sofia made great efforts to reduce the amount of lunchtime waste through their efforts of bringing litterless lunches to school, along with making efforts to reduce the amount of garbage each student produced. Through the Green Team’s Waste Audit, it was discovered that less than half of what is regularly garbage was produced that week. Way to go students! Thank you to parents for also helping to support greater awareness of environmental stewardship and sustainability. Parents are encouraged to help their children develop responsible habits and choices when it comes to lunches and snacks. Students are encouraged to bring litterless lunches and re-useable water bottles. Items such as Tupperware, cutlery from home, cloth napkins and the like help to cut down waste. Also please consider avoiding nonrecyclable items such as plastic wrap, plastic cutlery, sandwich bags and juice boxes! The GREEN TEAM will be introducing their LIGHTS OUT CAMPAIGN and they are hopeful that everyone at St. Sofia will “turn-off” the lights when they are not required. UNIFORMS and INDOOR SHOES Parents are asked to help enforce proper uniform and footwear at St. Sofia. All students should be in compliance with the correct uniform items and footwear. Shirts should be tucked in, proper cardigans or sweaters (not personal sweaters or hoodies), pants, tunics, skorts, etc. should be from our uniform provider. A number of students have been wearing brightly coloured running shoes. Indoor shoes should be dark, preferably black or navy. Running shoes are only for gym, DPA, or recess use. Students should not be wearing running shoes, boots (e.g. Uggs), or moccasins as part of their everyday uniform. Uniform checks will begin shortly and students who are not wearing a proper uniform will be issued a parent letter asking to have the uniform item not in compliance, corrected. Students’ are “uniform” in their appearance when they are compliant with uniform expectations. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance. matter. In order to keep our students safe and their working environment clean, please ensure that your child has a pair of “indoor” shoes at school. It will reduce the amount of dirt, mud and snow brought indoors. These shoes should conform with St. Sofia uniform policy. Boots of any kind are not considered part of the school uniform. THE COLDER WEATHER HAS ARRIVED! As the temperature begins to drop, please ensure that your child comes to school prepared to participate in all activities including outdoor recess. All children should have hats, scarves, gloves, warm coats and boots, labeled with their names. In colder weather we often receive requests for children to remain indoors when students have a cold. Please note that we cannot accommodate this request, as we have neither the facilities, nor the staff to supervise these students. If you feel your child is not well enough to go outside, please keep your child at home; moreover, health officials indicate that fresh air is beneficial, as long as students are dressed appropriately. On extreme cold days, we limit the amount of time that students spend outdoors. We obtain our weather information from the Environment Canada Weather Information Line and follow board guidelines. With the exception of these occasions, all children will go out for every recess. TRANSPORTATION IN WINTER During the winter months, inclement weather and/or poor road conditions may cause the disruption of bus transportation and regular school operations. In these cases, parents/guardians should develop alternate care/transportation arrangements. A decision to cancel bus transportation and/or to close schools is made by 6:00 a.m. Decisions are based on several factors including precipitation, air temperature and road conditions. A decision to cancel bus transportation may be system wide (where all buses in Dufferin County and the Region of Peel are cancelled) or municipality specific (where buses in one or more municipalities are cancelled). If buses are cancelled in the morning, they will not operate in the afternoon. Therefore students transported to school by parents require the same transportation home. Notification: Information regarding bus cancellation and other emergency information announcements can be obtained by visiting www.stopr.ca or businfo.stopr.ca A bus cancellation and/or school closure message will also be available online at www.dpcdsb.org. Parent/student general inquiries, please call 905 890-6000 or 1-800 668-1140. Regular attendance & Punctuality Regular attendance and punctuality are important life skills that apply not only in the educational setting, but also in various other settings and especially in the work place. When a student arrives late, it is a disruption to his/her learning as well as to the learning of the other students in the class. A total of the number of days absent and late are documented and become part of the student’s record. Students should arrive on time to line up with their peers when the bell rings. It is important to address frequent absences and late arrivals for non-medical reasons early as they may have a long-term negative impact. It is a parent’s responsibility, as outlined in the Education Act, to ensure that their child is in regular attendance and on time for school. When regular attendance and punctuality are problematic, a meeting with parents, the principal, and other school personnel may be required in order to discuss a plan for helping the child to improve attendance or prompt arrival. St. Sofia’s Bullying Awareness & Prevention initiatives At St. Sofia, we have a commitment to make bullying awareness and prevention a priority. This priority will be undertaken through a comprehensive plan for the creation of “bully-free” learning and work environments characterized by friendships founded on mutual acceptance, inclusion, and respect for the dignity of each person, created in God’s image. St. Sofia cares! The best way to protect students from bullying and other forms of aggression is to establish clearly articulated expectations for behaviour and to work collaboratively to engage the entire community in taking responsibility for school safety. This requires leadership from administration, staff, and parents, who must consistently model and reinforce pro-social behaviour, mutual respect, and a deep caring for the well-being of all members of the community. The most effective approach to bullying prevention is within a whole-school approach. This approach is articulated in all Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board schools through local Catholic Community, Culture and Caring Action Teams (CCCAT), which meet a minimum of three times per school year, and include membership from administration, teaching staff, support staff, parents, students, and the broader community. The combined efforts of students, parents and community members working together with educators to create a school-wide plan, is required to develop a school community where students and staff feel respected and parents and community members are welcomed. All members of the community have a responsibility to create and maintain a positive climate by ensuring that no one feels demeaned, belittled or humiliated, and all feel free to express, without fear of ridicule, their creativity and individual gifts in the service of others. To establish this positive climate, staff, students, parish and community partners collaborate in a process of authentic Catholic community building. Students are made aware that bullying behaviours may result in suspension and/or expulsion, and those who choose to bully others will participate in interventions, consequences and ongoing supports to help them behave in more positive ways. St. Sofia in Action! Daily prayers, school-wide announcements using Gospel values and virtues which focus on school rules, suggestions on how to get along, WWJD? Virtue announcements and assemblies Class-wide social skills for each grade level. “WITS” program: Walk away, ignore, talk it out, seek help. Individual sessions to help resolve/discuss solutions At recess time to help younger students develop positive peer interactions and friendship skills, which develops a positive school climate. Reward system for incentives as needed (depending on students’ understanding) Creating a “Peace Place” in the classroom for conflict resolution, discussion, and reflection. Youth Education Officer presentations. Regular communication and presence of our Neighbourhood Policing Unit. Teacher and staff professional development opportunities, workshops, and resources (e.g. Diversity, Equity and Inclusive education workshops, Bullying Prevention Symposium). Board Progressive Discipline policy (e.g. Think Paper, detention, letter home, parent meeting, available support services such as CYW, Social Worker or community agencies such as Peel Children’s Centre). Peel Public Health—Bullying Prevention Program Just to name a few!! COLD AND FLU SEASON As cold and flu season approaches, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board continues to be vigilant in ensuring that our schools are clean and that our school communities are educated regarding good hand hygiene and cough etiquette. These practices are promoted on an ongoing basis, but as the prevalence of colds and flu increases, our board increases the cleaning of contact surfaces, as well as reminds schools to review cold and flu prevention with students and staff. Many resources are utilized from our regional health units. A reminder, as well, that communicable diseases can be contracted in public places throughout the year. For example, cold-related viruses, such as Enterovirus, are transferred from person to person through hand contact. Cold and flu viruses typically peak from December through February, but can start as early as October. Regional Health Unit Resources Please assist us by reviewing good hand washing procedures, as well as other preventative measures, as outlined in the various Peel Health and Wellington Dufferin Guelph (WDG) resources available to you through their websites. As always, children who are unwell, should be kept at home. Flu Clinics Also available on the Peel Health and WDG websites, are the schedules of local Flu Clinics. See: http://www.peelregion.ca/flu/clinics/ Direct links to the above information can also be found in the tab marked ‘Parents’ on the Board website http://www.dpcdsb.org LIBRARY NEWS by PANI NEAVE Thank you to all parents and students for their enthusiastic support of our Fall Book Fair! It was a great success and soon our students will see many new books in the Library. Thank you to our volunteers: Pani Bortkiewicz, Pani Lachmaniuk, Pani Nyczyk, Pani Steciw, and Pani Wernert for their help during the Book Fair. Pani Joan, Mark C., Panna Ostapiuk and her students were all very helpful with the younger students Happy reading! Web Resources: Primary: Hickory Dickory Dock www.ictgames.com Junior: Clockworks www.bbc.co.uk/ schools/ks1bitesize/numeracy/time Time Students need to learn to tell time on both analogue and digital clocks. The world is increasingly digital but there are still analogue clocks in use. Telling time helps develop skills in proportional reasoning, fractions, skip counting and understanding elapsed time. Use every- day activities and make it fun! FAMILY MATH ACTIVITY K-3 Make it a practice to use timers as a tool to teach your child the length of a minute or group of minutes (“You have ___ minutes to get ready for ___.”) Grades 4-6 Discuss with your child how much time has passed (“You started school at 8:30 and you finished at 3. How long were you at school today?”), or how much longer it will take (“How much longer did it take a shower than brush your teeth?”). Grade 7 and 8 - Free Math Tutoring! Homework Help is more than just free tutoring Sunday to Thursday nights from 5:30 to 9:30 pm. The site offers a wide variety of resources such as videotaped lessons and interactive tutorials. Plus students get a virtual locker to keep a record of their sessions which is great for review before tests and end of the unit evaluations. Register today at https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org/ . All you need to register is your student OEN number which is found on your report card. If you have additional questions, please contact your classroom teacher