"Sharing Our Stories, Shaping Our Dreams"
For December 2011 – Volume 4
Stanley Mills P.S.
286 Sunny Meadow Blvd.
Brampton, ON
L6R 3C3
(905) 789-0925
Ms Patrice Ward – Principal
Ms April Zeleny – Vice-Principal
Mrs. Leanne Hope-Godfrey – Office Manager
Mrs. Mary Bayaborda – Office Assistant
website: http://schools.peelschools.org/1487
S.T.A.R.S.H.I.N.E. Theme of the Month: Responsibility
In reflecting on our theme of the month for
December, I know you will recognize that it is a
shared focus of home and school to cultivate in
our young people a sense of ever-increasing
personal responsibility. Often, adults need only
provide children with the opportunity and the
framework for that sense of responsibility to
blossom. There are many ways in which our
young people demonstrate their gains in
developing and displaying responsibility. But
sometimes we can all use a reminder to focus less
on our rights and more on our responsibilities.
Naturally, then, we want to continue teaching and
modelling personal, social, and academic
responsibility. Few things help children to
mature more than placing responsibility upon their
shoulders and letting them know you trust them.
A good basic step in this direction is encouraging
and expecting children to take responsibility for
getting to school on time and taking care of
their personal belongings. Developing a sense of
ownership is a life skill indeed! Perhaps we have
not passed that subtle line between childhood and
adulthood until we stop saying "It got lost" and
say "I lost it"! Similarly, "We must do
something" always solves more problems than
"Something must be done"!
Many of you are aware of the S.T.A.R. strategy
that we teach our students to assist them in
managing and resolving problems that arise in
their daily lives. When we STOP, THINK, and
ACT RESPONSIBLY, we avoid acting—or
reacting—impulsively. We consider our words
carefully to determine whether they will build
others up or tear them down. We consider the
consequences of our actions and determine
whether they will be helpful or hurtful.
Ultimately, we learn to make problems better,
rather than bigger. That’s a tremendously
valuable skill to carry forward in their lives and
learning.
Patrice Ward
Principal
November’s S.T.A.R.S.H.I.N.E. Assembly –
Let’s Get Active!
On the morning of November 3rd, we held our
S.T.A.R.S.H.I.N.E. assembly that featured
recognition for the previous month’s theme
(Trying Your Best), the introduction of
November’s theme (Active Living), and some
other celebrations. The tone was set as we entered
to a slideshow of students and staff in action in a
variety of ways! Student hosts Sahra from Mr.
Bursey’s class and Gurkanwal from Mrs.
Chadha’s class did a great job of introducing the
many special features.
First on the program was Ms Ward’s and Ms
Zeleny’s presentation of S.T.A.R.S.H.I.N.E.
awards for Trying Your Best. The following
students received certificates for outstanding
demonstration of great effort:
1A
1B
1C
1D
2A
2B
2C
2D
3A
3B
3C
3D
4A
4B
4C
4/5
5A
5B
5C
5D
Gill
Bhamby
Fong
Seehra
Hernandez
Bursey
Chadha
Smallfield
Salter
Williams
Phillips
Carvalho
Ghosh
Quinlan
Zolis
Tulk
Galea
Dutkiewicz
Powell
Stockden
Machi
Tanvir
Himanshu
Arshan
Sukhman
Sahajveer
Joban
Omar
Amina
Yuti
Harshveer
Karan
Anisha
Jayden
Richard
Kamalpreet
Jiya
Esha
Noor
Kartik
Next came two powerful introductions to our
November theme of Active Living by two of our
grade 2 classes. First, Ms Smallfield’s class
shared great ideas and activities by presenting an
acrostic based on the letter in “Keep Active!”
Next, the students of Ms Hernandez’s class
shared a slideshow of pictures they had created
about how they and many of our staff members
keep active.
We all know that milk is a nutritious beverage that
provides energy and strengthens our bones.
What we recently learned is that we can help
families in Haiti to benefit from our drinking milk
by simply donating the bags! With the support of
Mrs. Zolis, Mrs. Tulk, and Ms Quinlan, some
grade 4 students shared with us how the milk bags
can be woven into sleeping mats and sent to
Haiti. Drinking milk and donating the bags is a
win-win-win situation, whose benefits include
increasing good health, giving to those less
fortunate, and protecting the environment by reusing plastic bags and keeping them out of our
landfill sites.
Many of our students and their families celebrated
Diwali in October. Two grade 4 students,
Jasmine D. and Jasmine M., spoke about this
festival and its importance. To highlight the
celebrations, Mrs. Bhamby, Mrs. Ghosh, and
Mrs. Chadha collaborated with one another and
several groups of students in delighting our
audience with a series of traditional dances.
Next, Ms Phillips looked around the gym and
noticed the outstanding participation of our staff
and students for November’s Sports Wear day!
She then presented the Spirit Day trophy for last
month’s Crazy Hat day to Ms Quinlan’s grade 4
class!
The ceremony began with the entry of a colour
guard and the placing of candles and wreaths on
our Stanley Mills cenotaph. This was followed by
words of historical background and introduction
by our student hosts, Joshua and Yasmin,
helping us all understand more deeply the origins
and meaning of Remembrance Day.
The grand finale for our assembly was the muchanticipated House Points update! The very
familiar characters of Captain Housepoints and
The Countess made their appearance; however,
they seemed to have shrunk in size and closely
resembled two of our own students, Ayesha and
Abdulhaady! They shared with us that Mars was
in the lead! There was much excitement in the air,
and so it took a little calming down (even for Ms
Ward and Ms Zeleny, who are both in Mars!)
before we could finish the assembly with the
singing of our school song.
Thank you to the many parents, friends, and other
family members who joined us for this exciting
assembly. We hope to see many of you at our
next assembly on Friday, December 2nd at 1:30
p.m.
The Stanley Mills Choir performed a beautiful
musical version of “Where Have All The
Flowers Gone?”, reminding us of the terrible
losses incurred by war. The choir was under the
direction of Mrs. Morgan, with support from Ms
Norris and keyboard accompaniment by Ms
Ward.
The laying of wreaths, many of them festooned
with poppies, showed our respect for the fallen.
We then listened to "The Last Post," observed
two minutes of silence, and then heard
"Reveille." Following that, we all joined together
in the singing of “O Canada.”
Next came the sharing by grade 5 students of
excerpts from famous poems and songs associated
with the different time periods from World War I
until present-day peacekeeping duties in countries
such as Afghanistan. We then heard the singing of
“See The Poppies” by the grade 2 classes of Mr.
Bursey and Mrs. Chadha. Original reflections
and poetry written and presented by 3 Stanley
Mills students--Amelia, Ayush, and Ayesha-provided an admirable focus for contemplation, as
did “Reflections of War: the Work of War
Artists,” a researched audio-visual presentation
by Ayman.
Stanley Mills Remembers
Stanley Mills hosted a Remembrance Day
Ceremony on Friday, November 11th, from 10:40
to 11:40 a.m. Our purpose was twofold: to
honour the men and women who sacrificed their
lives to make our world a better place; and to
emphasize the responsibility of each of us to be a
peacemaker. The contemplative atmosphere in
our auditorium was enhanced by the displaying of
poppies, wreaths, and peace symbols crafted by
our students, and a montage created by Mrs.
Dutkiewicz’s class from photographs of Stanley
Mills staff members’ loved ones who have served
their countries in the military.
A special guest, Master Corporal Abel Gomes of
the Lorne Scots, spoke to us about his military
experiences. Dressed in his military fatigues, he
spoke compellingly to our students, describing his
experiences and praising them for their honouring
of our veterans, past and present.
His message was followed by the singing of
“Peace For My World” by the Stanley Mills
Choir and an audio-visual presentation entitled
“A Soldier Cries,” by Shawn Hlookoff. Finally,
staff and students exited in silence to the strains of
“No Man’s Land,” by Michael Mitchell.
The many messages of the program obviously
resonated with our students, because they were
silently respectful throughout the ceremony. We
were very proud of our students' comportment
throughout this solemn occasion, and wish to
thank our staff, guests, and all of our students for
contributing to the meaning and power of our
communal remembrance. We especially
acknowledge the leadership of Ms Norris for
overseeing preparations and co-ordinating
presentations for this special occasion.
Move-a-thon Results
On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 15th, we
celebrated our Move-a-thon fundraiser, which
was a considerable success, raising a grand total of
nearly $8000! These revenues will contribute
significantly to special presentations, a pathway
for our creative playground, outdoor
improvements, boosting of recreational
equipment, and providing of special presentations
for our students to enjoy. Way to go, Stanley
Mills! The Move-a-thon itself was highly
beneficial, as students and staff were literally
aglow with the exertion of vigorous activity and
exciting dance moves.
Amidst much fanfare and excitement, the top
fundraising students were awarded prizes that also
celebrated active living. The prizes and winners
were as follows:
KA1
KA3
KA5
KP3
KP5
1A
1C
2A
2C
3A
3C
4A
4C
5A
5C
R.J.
Jasmeen
Jay
Hayden
Ashley
Saailesh
Amelia
Gary
Moshe
Aiden
Kiranjit
Thanujan
Mahalia
Aleesha
TeAndra
KA2
KA4
KP1
KP4
Isha
Emaan
Ginveer
Ashley
1B
1D
2B
2D
3B
3D
4B
4/5
5B
5D
Ariana
Arshan
Sahajveer
Gurleen
Sahil
William
Britney
Kareem
Ishman
Ayman
Grade-Level Top Fundraisers were as follows:
K
Karthi
- basketball net
Gr. 1 Amelia
- hockey net
Gr. 2 Gurleen
- scooter
Gr. 3 Sahil
- snow sled
Gr. 4 Kareem
- snow sled
Gr. 5 Balpreet
- ripstick
School Top Fundraisers and winners of bicycles
and helmets:
K-1
Jay
2-3
Aiden
4-5
TeAndra
Jordan, Moshe, Amelia and William also won
tickets to a black light show at the Living Arts
Centre.
Of course, we owe a big debt of gratitude to our
staff team of Ms Hernandez, Ms Powell, and Mr.
Bursey, who co-ordinated this entire event,
including a highly motivating campaign based on
creative incentives and magnificent prizes. We
are also grateful to the teachers who oversaw the
collection of funds and to Mrs. Godfrey, our
Office Manager, and Mrs. Bayaborda, our Office
Assistant, who painstakingly counted and
bankrolled the monies contributed. Hearty thanks
to all of the students who moved mountains to
raise funds for our school, and to our community
for their support of this venture!
Upcoming Performances Presented FREE for
our Students
Activity fees and profits from our Move-a-thon
allow us to offer our students new and exciting
experiences such as presentations by professional
artists. Early in December we shall be offering
two very exciting performances to enrich our
students’ learning and cultural appreciation.
On Monday, December 5th, students in grades 2
to 5 will enjoy some outstanding First Nations
storytelling, dance, and drumming. “Gonrah
Desgohwah” is a presentation by White Pine
Dancers that will reinforce the character traits of
respect, responsibility, kindness, and caring, as
well as curriculum expectations related to
multiculturalism and dance (identify stories and
teachings from First Nations cultures; identify
various types of dances and relate them to their
different roles in society).
On Tuesday, December 6th, Kindergarten and
grade 1 students will be treated to the magic of
theatre through the art of puppetry and literary
stories: “Mouse Tales,” presented by
Waterwood Theatre Projects. This performance
will reinforce honesty, integrity, empathy,
kindness, and caring, while empowering students
to meet the curriculum expectation of expressing
personal responses and making connections to
characters, themes, and issues presented in drama
works.
Hallowe'en Highlights
We are pleased to share the following image of
some of our students in costumes to celebrate the
"spirits" of the season!
Important Dates
Friday, November 25th - Fall Term Recognition
Assembly at 8:30 a.m.
December 2nd - S.T.A.R.S.H.I.N.E. assembly,
with our grade 3 classes introducing
"Responsibility" at 1:30 p.m.; Holiday Colours
Spirit Day.
Thursday, December 15th – Christmas Concert,
two performances (please see below).
Friday, December 23rd - Last day of school
before the holidays.
“Once Upon a December”. . .” Concert
The two public performances of our annual
Christmas concert will be held on Thursday,
December 15th, one at 8:45 a.m., and the other at
6:30 p.m. Watch for more information, including
the allocation of tickets, coming in a few days'
time. Tickets are $1 each plus 1 donation for our
food drive, to accompany your ticket order.
There will be a limit of 4 tickets per family. They
will be distributed on a first-come, first served
basis, with invitations going home first to students
who are participating. Thank you in advance for
supporting both our festive concert and the food
drive, which will support needy families in our
own community.
Because of the size of our school population and
the large number of students performing, please
make every effort to attend our daytime
performance, as seating available for the evening
performance will be much more limited. Families
who feel that they must bring younger siblings to
the performance are asked to attend the daytime
performance and to make every reasonable effort
to ensure that children are quiet and well-behaved.
Out of consideration for our performers, audience
members are expected to arrive punctually and
stay for the entire production, which will last
approximately one hour. As well, for reasons of
safety and security, the doors to the school will be
locked ten minutes after the start of the evening
performance, and no one will be admitted after
that time.
Fall Term Recognition Assembly
On Friday, November 25th at 8:30 a.m., Stanley
Mills hosted our Fall Term Recognition
Assembly. This event recognized outstanding
student achievement in Academics, Athletics, the
Arts, Citizenship. Effort, and, where applicable,
French, as well as in extra-curricular activities
during the term. Congratulations to all the
students listed below for their accomplishments.
FALL AWARD RECIPIENTS
FRENCH
4A
4B
4C
4/5
5A
5B
5C
5D
Ghosh
Quinlan
Zolis
Tulk
Galea
Dutkiewicz
Powell
Stockden
Gurjot
Daanyal
Harjot
Ayesha
Fiona
Ayman
Aadil
Natania
FALL AWARD RECIPIENTS
CITIZENSHIP
1A
1B
1C
1D
2A
2B
2C
2D
3A
3B
3C
3D
4A
4B
4C
4/5
5A
5B
5C
5D
Gill
Bhamby
Fong
Seehra
Hernandez
Bursey
Chadha
Smallfield
Salter
Williams
Phillips
Carvalho
Ghosh
Quinlan
Zolis
Tulk
Galea
Dutkiewicz
Powell
Stockden
Sargun
Ariana
Angad
Suzana
Gurleen
Sahib
Tiffany
Carol
Vinne
Sahil
Abena
Dimplejit
Humraj
Raminder
Mahalia
Callie
Randy
Ayman
Travis
Ravdeep
Dhilakshan
Anup
Preet
Manjot
Gary
Aarti
Neha
Khushdeep
Selvi
Kiran
Ajay
Alesandra
Jasmine
Sachin
Gurman
Christine
Jessica
Anoop
Balpreet
Balraj
FALL AWARD RECIPIENTS
ACADEMICS
FALL AWARD RECIPIENTS
ATHLETICS
1A
1B
1C
1D
2A
2B
2C
2D
3A
3B
3C
3D
4A
4B
4C
4/5
5A
5B
5C
5D
Gill
Bhamby
Fong
Seehra
Hernandez
Bursey
Chadha
Smallfield
Salter
Williams
Phillips
Carvalho
Ghosh
Quinlan
Zolis
Tulk
Galea
Dutkiewicz
Powell
Stockden
1A
1B
1C
1D
2A
2B
2C
2D
3A
3B
3C
3D
4A
4B
4C
4/5
5A
5B
5C
5D
Gill
Bhamby
Fong
Seehra
Hernandez
Bursey
Chadha
Smallfield
Salter
Williams
Phillips
Carvalho
Ghosh
Quinlan
Zolis
Tulk
Galea
Dutkiewicz
Powell
Stockden
Siya
Sara
Trisha
Himmat
Rajdeep
Afzaal
Diljot
Hinthuja
Navleen
Praveen
Abena
Krishnavy
Gurjot
Chaitya
Jessica
Abubakar
Fiona
Ayman
Gursharan
Roha
FALL AWARD RECIPIENTS
ARTS
1A
1B
1C
1D
2A
2B
2C
2D
3A
3B
3C
3D
4A
4B
4C
4/5
5A
5B
5C
5D
Gill
Bhamby
Fong
Seehra
Hernandez
Bursey
Chadha
Smallfield
Salter
Williams
Phillips
Carvalho
Ghosh
Quinlan
Zolis
Tulk
Galea
Dutkiewicz
Powell
Stockden
Harleen
Jovan
Saiha
Loveleen
Deepjyot
Sahra
Jasleen
Dilrose
Jessica
Yuti
Marion
Kirishnavy
Chante
Shabithah
Mahalia
Kamalpreet
Tamanvir
Azmeer
Kareena
Damanpreet
FALL AWARD RECIPIENTS
EFFORT
1A
1B
1C
1D
2A
2B
2C
2D
3A
3B
3C
3D
4A
4B
4C
4/5
5A
5B
5C
5D
Gill
Bhamby
Fong
Seehra
Hernandez
Bursey
Chadha
Smallfield
Salter
Williams
Phillips
Carvalho
Ghosh
Quinlan
Zolis
Tulk
Galea
Dutkiewicz
Powell
Stockden
Prabpreet
Navya
Manraj
Darian
Kushi
Gauri
Ramanan
Anikate
Vinne
Ramanpreet
Arsh
Vincenzo
Sukhraj
Jayden
Harsheen
Elizabeth
Sukhman
Karmanpreet
Sahbaj
Sahib
Stanley Mills Swimming Star Sets Record
On Sunday October 30, 2011, one of Mrs.
Carvalho’s grade 3 students, Jagtaj, travelled with
his swim teammates to the University of
Guelph’s Athletic Centre to swim the 4 x 100m
Freestyle relay. In doing so, Jagtaj ended up
making history and put the 10 & Under Boys
Relay Team on the COBRA Record Board.
The team was ecstatic as they captured the
COBRA Club Record. The relay team came in at
7:43.92. According to their coach, all the boys
performed at their personal best times, as well.
Jagtaj’s success comes as the result of many hours
of personal goal-setting and training to meet his
goals. Congratulations, Jagtaj! We hope that his
experience inspires others to set goals, work hard
as a team member, and always try to surpass their
personal bests.
Closing Schools Because of Bad Weather
In winter, the P.D.S.B. may need to cancel buses
or close schools because of bad weather. Please
don’t call the school to find out this
information. The board decides by 6:45 a.m.
whether to cancel buses or close schools. To find
out if busing is cancelled or schools closed, visit
www.peelschools.org or call 905-890-1010. You
will receive one of the following messages:
Peel District School Board buses are cancelled.
Schools remain open for students and staff, but
buses are cancelled. Buses will remain cancelled
all day. All activities that require busing will also
be cancelled. Permits, night school classes,
daycare, and other activities in schools will
operate as usual.
All evening programs and permits at the Peel
District School Board are cancelled. As a result of
weather conditions, all activities in schools and
board offices are cancelled, including continuing
education courses and events. The buildings will
be closed.
Make the Most of the Winter Break
Be active

If there's snow, go tobogganing, build a snow fort, cross-country ski, or snowshoe.

Go skating at a local arena or outdoor rink.

Take a walk around your neighbourhood to enjoy the holiday decorations.

Go swimming or play basketball at a local community centre.
Get organized

As holiday greeting cards arrive, ask your child to record the names and addresses of the senders.

String cards together to display above doors or windows in your home.

Ask your child to organize photographs in an album by date or activity. Save newspaper or magazine
photographs of favourite athletes or role models to create a scrapbook.

Suggest your child swap paperbacks, comics, or magazines with family and friends.
Develop a sense of responsibility

Involve your child with holiday decorating and clean-up.

Ask your child to take charge of family recycling (get containers, wash the jars, stack the papers, etc.)

Have your child plan all aspects of a party. Your child can help decide on the guests, phone or send
invitations, plan the food, get the house ready, greet and introduce the guests, and clean up.
Bolster core learning skills

Recommend that your child keep a diary or journal of the family's activities.

Make time every day to read as a family or on your own—even 10 or 15 minutes is fine.

Take your child to the local library.

Have your child follow a favourite newspaper comic strip all week.

Encourage your child to write holiday greetings or thank-you cards to cousins, grandparents and
friends.

Review cash register receipts. Ask your child to check them for accuracy when you’re unloading
groceries.

Have a family discussion about goals for 2012. Talk to your child about ways he or she can achieve
them.
Teach citizenship

Check the newspaper for volunteer opportunities. For example, you and your child could help at a food
bank, visit an elderly person living alone, or volunteer at a community event.

Visit the animal shelter, the fire station, or a hospital to show your child what happens at these places.
Understand history & explore different cultures

If possible, collect photographs of grandparents and great-grandparents. Have your child write their
names and birth dates on the back of the photos. Discuss the family's history.

Talk about the meaning of holidays. Ask your child to research the holidays celebrated by different
cultures in your community. If friends are celebrating these holidays, ask them to tell you about their
traditions.
Get close to nature

Give your child the responsibility of watering the plants.

Check weather conditions where friends and relatives live.

Take a walk in the snow and watch for animal tracks. Identify what animal made the tracks.
Find more Parent Tip Sheets at www.peelschools.org.