Find the light within you
and let your true colours shine!
NORTHERN LIGHTS P.S.
novemBER
2015
NOVEMBER 2010
Mr. J. Laughlin
Principal
Ms. M. King
Vice Principal
Ms. A. Jadeja
Ms. F. Gamble
School Office Assistants
Ms. B. Green
Superintendent
CEC Central
905 884 4477
Mr. P. Adams-Luchowski
Trustee
905 713 1729
School Council Co-Chairs:
Ms. D. Dodds
Ms. L. Campbell
Message from the Administration
In the month of November, teachers and students work closely together to review and reflect on
their current progress and set goals for the future. As a learning community, we feel, this is a
valuable time for parents and teachers to have a constructive dialogue with each other related to
your child and their program. It is also anticipated that conversations will continue as we monitor the
strengths and needs of each child as we move into the new year. Please also note that if you feel
you need to meet with your child’s teacher on a one-one basis to share important information, you
can contact him/her to set up a meeting or phone call. We look forward to sharing student growth
with you in the coming month.
We are excited to share some of the outdoor improvements Northern Lights and the NLPS School
Council have been working on. The grading and grass seed that was laid down at the beginning of
year has grown in, and we are currently upgrading our Outdoor Classroom to include more greenery
and trees for shade. Thank you to our community for providing the financial resources to see this
large project through. Our School Council has worked very hard to move these projects forward. All
of our students, with support from our Eco-Team, will be involved in selecting a name for our
Outdoor Classroom and for sustaining its growth and development. Students at Dr. G.W. Williams
will be creating and producing a sign for our classroom. We are excited to have our students and
staff incorporate this outdoor learning space in to their daily activities.
Sincerely,
Mr. Laughlin
Ms. King
Website:
www.northernlights.ps.yrdsb.edu.on.ca
Email:
northern.lights.ps@yrdsb.
edu.on.ca
Phone: 905 727 4224
Fax: 905 727 3845
Address:
40 Bridgenorth Drive
Aurora ON
L4G 7S6
PARENT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE!
We are hoping that you have had an opportunity to visit our school website since we
updated it this fall. You may or may not have had the opportunity to visit our parent
section of the website. The parent section is updated on a regular basis. In it you will
find Fall workshops for parents, a link for free homework help for students in grades 7-10
as well as strategies for helping your child at home. Attached you will also find parent
resources that can be signed out at the MRC. We value you the partnership we have with
you so please let us know how we can continue to support you to assist your child(ren)
with their work at home.
OFFICE REMINDERS
DATES TO REMEMBER:
NOVEMBER 4: Pre-Remembrance Day
Assembly—Colour Guard
NOVEMBER 11: Remembrance Day Assembly
NOVEMBER 24: Photo–retake Day
NOVEMBER 27: P.A. DAY
DECEMBER 7: School Council Meeting
DECEMBER 10: Winter Concert (evening)
BUS POLICY: WEATHER
In November the weather can be snowy and sometimes
hazardous. Throughout the winter months, it is sometimes
necessary to cancel school buses and very rarely, close the
school as a result of more severe weather conditions. Any
cancellation of buses does not mean that the school is
closed however. Please note that if bus transportation is
cancelled in the morning, then buses are cancelled for the
entire day (including all extra-curricular and field trips). If
you choose to drop off a student who normally takes a bus,
arrangements must be made to pick them up at the end of
the school day as well. More information about inclement
and colder weather days can be found in the student
agenda. There may be occasions where buses are late for
a variety of reasons and delays are inevitable. Parents are
advised to wait at the bus stop with their child or just in
case, make arrangements so that your child knows what to
do/where to go if the bus does not arrive (especially if you
leave for work before your child gets on the bus). Bus
information with updates is available on
www.schoolbuscity.com.
NEW KINDERGARTEN EQUIPMENT
Over the next week or so, you will notice some of our
Kindergarten equipment in our fenced in arrival and
dismissal areas will be replaced. We are replacing our
current climbers with stepping stones, balance beams, a
discovery bowl, tricycles, basketball nets for youth and a
discovery ‘ball run course’ that students can build and
create. The new equipment ties in nicely to the Full Day
Kindergarten Model involving discovery and inquiry. Thank
you to those who have donated the climbers over the past
few years. Maintaining and monitoring the use of this
equipment, to ensure safety, has proven to be challenging
which is why they are being replaced. NLPS has
appreciated your generosity and kindness.
Grade 8 Information Sessions for Secondary School
Programs are coming. Central region students who are
interested in attending Bill Crothers S.S., applications are
due November 6th. There is a session at Dr. G. W. Williams
December 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. This event provides an
opportunity to come to Williams to see and hear about:
 Varied programming options for Grade 9 students and
beyond;
 The differences between Academic, Applied, and Locally
Developed courses;
 Gifted and Enriched program offerings for students in
Grades 9 and 10;
 Advanced Placement and pre-AP programs for senior
students;
 Special Education classes;
 Our brand new Communications Technology lab,
equipped with iMacs, editing suites, a recording room,
and a green screen studio;
 Our brand new Fitness Studio/Weight Room;
 Our renewed facility
Substitute Peanut Butter Products
We encourage parents/guardians to avoid the use of
substitute peanut butter products. These products tend to
look, taste, and smell very much like peanut butter. While
the product is nut free, it mimics a known allergen that
causes anaphylaxis in some children to the degree that it is
indistinguishable from the allergen. It is a convincing
substitute, opening up the possibility that it can be confused
as peanut butter, or worse yet, peanut butter could be
confused as this soy-based product.
Important Picture Day Information
Your child's school picture is available online. Simply go to
mylifetouch.ca to view your school pictures. Use the Portrait
ID & Access Code on your proof sheet to claim your school
pictures online. To redeem your complimentary digital
Pictures2Protect® card, click here.
Arrival to School
All students should arrive at school between 8:30 am and
8:40 am, as supervision outside in the yard starts at 8:30am.
All students are expected to be with their class, standing for
O’Canada and the morning announcements to avoid being
marked late. Thank you for your support.
ONLINE PAYMENT SYSTEM AT NLPS
Thank you to those that have participated in our SchoolCash Online payment system for certain events this year. We have
been implementing this new payment system this Fall, and are working on improving the format of the program as well as
providing the options in ordering that we have provided in the past. We have already used this payment system for Scientist in
the Schools, Souvlaki Lunch orders, the Milk program and looking ahead to Pizza Lunch orders starting November 20th. If you
haven’t registered yet, and are interested in any of these programs, we encourage you to register following the instructions
included in the attachment to this email. Your login and password were provided at the beginning of the year in your child’s
front page of their agenda (For Kindergarten students it was on the information package provided at registration). Once you
are registered, you can track your purchases and will receive notification for all programs by email, that you can pay for using
this service. Thank you for trialing our new program and helping make it a success.
ICE CAT CORNER!!!
CROSS COUNTRY
Congratulations to our Regional Cross Country Runners who participated in yesterdays meet at Bruce’s Mill. They
represented NLPS in true ‘shining star’ fashion! Congratulations to: Taylor M., Carson M., Josh J., Christopher D.,
Nicholas P., Olivia V., Josh D., Julian T., Wyatt L., Stephen G., Alex Y., Lucas S., Eric M., Paige P., Tiki R., Sarah D., Kolby
F., and Kiera L. who was our top finisher placing 8th.
SENIOR VOLLEYBALL TEAMS
Our Intermediate Boys and Girls Volleyball Teams are well underway with tryouts finishing this week. Thank you to Mr.
Hughes and Mr. Higgins for working with our Girls’ team this year, and to Mme. Scetto and Mme. Fracke for working
with our Boys’ team this year. More to come!
ZONES OF REGULATION IN OUR PRIMARY CLASSES
The Zones of Regulation is a framework and program that teaches children to understand and learn to control their
emotions by teaching the children to recognize their feelings. It also teaches them about calming strategies or tools
that will assist them in regulating their emotions. The optimal learning zone is called the ‘Green Zone’.
In our primary classes, we are using stories to introduce the different emotions. Students are creating their own
personalized cards/bookmarks with calming strategies/tools on the back. These bookmarks/cards will be kept on their
desks to use when they are feeling ‘Blue’, ‘Yellow’ or ‘Red’. The individualized calming strategies/tools on the back,
remind students how to get back to their green, optimal learning zone.
REMEMBRANCE DAY ACTVITIES AT NLPS
This year NLPS had the pleasure of the Aurora Legion Colour Guard
perform the Marching of the Colours on November 4th; a week before
our formal Remembrance Day assembly. Our students and staff have
since been reflecting and making connections to the importance of this
day, and the impact it has on them as Canadians. On Wednesday,
November 11th we will have our formal Remembrance Day Assembly.
Parents/Guardians are welcome to join us during the assembly if they
wish. Please sign in to the office upon arrival.
SHINING STARS AT NLPS
We at Northern Lights believe that good character forms the basis of healthy relationships and is a cornerstone of a
civil, just and democratic society. The development of good character is a shared responsibility of students, staff
members, families and communities. When all members of society embrace opportunities to model, teach,
promote, and celebrate good character, we build and strengthen learning and working communities that are caring,
safe, respectful and inclusive. The staff at Northern Lights recognize students displaying character traits. Every
month we will recognize our "Shining Stars" on the announcements, on our Shining Star display in the front lobby of
the school, and in our monthly newsletter. Students can be found shining in the areas of; respect, responsibility,
honesty, empathy, fairness, initiative, perseverance, courage, integrity, optimism.
Our September "Shining Stars" were:
Respect – Hayden L. (Gr.1), Emily S. (Gr.1), Liam G. (Gr.1)
Responsibility – Daliana M. (Gr.1), Ethan M. (Gr.2), Anastasia C. (Gr.6), Maddy T. (Gr.5), Jay P. (Gr.4), Lily V.
(Gr.4), Tahlia D. (Gr.4)
Empathy – Cayden W (Gr.5), Samantha C. (SK), Hayden L. (Gr.1)
Initiative – Jack H. (Gr.5), Jack R. (Gr.2), Aiden E. (Gr.5), Hafsa H. (Gr.3), Cole V. (Gr.1), Aryan A. (Gr.1),
Muhamed B. (Gr.3), Hamza K. (Gr.3), Aiden C. (Gr.7), Teagan B. (Gr.7), Narjess K. (Gr.1), Alyssa D. (Gr.1)
Integrity - Jackson G. (Gr.8), James D. (Gr.6), Ashur B. (Gr.5), Neisha M. (Gr.3), Jack R. (Gr.2), Cayden W. (Gr.5),
Wilson G. (Gr.5)
SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
What have we done????
Next Council Meeting
Monday December 7TH, 2015
7:00 p.m.
This past month the council has spent money on the
following items:
1. Extra support for Cross Country
2. Money to support Scientists in the Schools.
3. Renovation of our Outdoor Classroom
SOUVLAKI LUNCH
Council has begun the much loved Souvlaki lunch
program on Tuesdays! This year you can order
your souvlaki on-line. In order to process your
orders, please follow the instructions on page 2 of
this month’s newsletter. If you need help figuring out
the system, please contact the office. Thus far, our
orders are down from previous years. Look out for a
new block of orders for souvlaki lunch, milk and
Pizza coming soon.
Council meetings are held the first
Monday of each month in the school
library. You do not have to be a
council member to come; we
encourage all parents to come and
share their thoughts or just listen.
.
GRADE 8 GRADUATION COMMITTEE
This year we are hoping to form our Grad Committee much earlier so that we can get organized!
We are hoping to call on parents of Grade 8 students who may be interested in participating in
the organization and planning. This year, we would like to invite Grade 7 parents to participate in
the process as well to prepare for the following year.
So far we have had a few parents come forward to express their interest and we are looking for
more. If you are interested in participating please contact Denise at denisedodds@hotmail.ca.
The Graduation Committee includes parents, teachers and Administration.
Information regarding our first committee meeting will be shared by the school shortly.
Thank you for your interest!