ORCHARD PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
24 Calverley Street, Orillia L3V 3T4
Phone 705) 325-7772 Fax (705) 325-5522
School Web Page http://orc.scdsb.on.ca Follow us on Twitter: @OrchardParkPS
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Eileen Wise
Shelly Long-Bokma
Principal
JANUARY 2016
Vice Principal
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Talk with your child about why it is important to
attend school regularly - give specific examples of
how education can help them in their life.

Make sure that your child stays healthy by eating
properly, exercising and getting enough sleep.

Lead by example; if children see their parents
missing work frequently, they may expect to be able
to do the same thing.
Please make sure your child has snowpants, hats,
mittens, coats to enjoy our wonderful winter. An extra
pair of socks in the backpack is good.
We ask that you pick-up/drop off your child at the far
end of the drive so we can load and unload the
busses.
We have reviewed with the students our expectations
in the winter;
1.
Snow stays on the ground
2.
You can’t play catch with a snowball
3.
Throwing snowballs is like hitting and we
don’t hit at school.
4.
Don’t push people off snow hills.
5.
Don’t ruin other peoples work or creations.
6.
If you didn’t make it, don’t wreck it!
I’m sure these will help us keep everyone safe, and as
we said to the students, they can do some of the other
“fun” activities at home. We do encourage all students
to go straight home after school.
We have a few changes to staff, we would like to say
welcome back to Mr. & Mrs. Finney. They are back
from a year teaching exchange in Australia.
We are excited and sad as we say goodbye to Mrs.
Novosky. She is our secretary extraordinaire!
Mrs. Novosky has accepted a position at
Warminster P.S. and will be starting there on
January 18, 2016. I know we will all miss her
smiling face and cheery disposition!!! We will
have a farewell assembly Friday, January 15 at
2:00 pm.
ATTENDANCE MATTERS!
Let’s start the New Year off right!!!! Being present and
on-time at school is an important skill to teach your child.
Patterns of attendance are established during the early
years of schooling and there is a direct relationship
between attendance and achievement.
Being late for school also affects student learning. If a
child is just 10 minutes late for class every day, they will
miss over 30 hours of instruction over the course of the
school year. Poor attendance makes it difficult for
students to form positive peer relationships and students
that have learning difficulties are put at even greater risk
when they miss school frequently.
Here are some tips to help with attendance and
punctuality:
If your child is having a specific issue at school that is
causing them to not want to attend, speak to school staff
as soon as possible so we can work with you to solve the
problem.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Do you (or someone you know) have a child who was
born in 2012? If so, it’s almost time to register for
Kindergarten in the SCDSB! Beginning on January 25,
2016, Simcoe County’s public schools will be registering
children for Junior and Senior Kindergarten classes for
the 2015-16 school year. Contact your area public school
for registration information
During recent years there has been an increase in the
number of situations where parents do not have
appropriate documentation to register students in our
schools.
Land Registry offices no longer offer same day service
for the processing of birth certificate applications.
Presently,
birth
certificate
applications
take
approximately 6 - 8 weeks to be processed in Thunder
Bay. Encourage parents who are registering their
kindergarten children to start the process now to obtain a
birth certificate in time for the 2015-2016 school year.
The Board standard for acceptable documentation for
proof of age for new kindergarten students will include
any of the following:
• Canadian Birth Certificate/ Canadian Passport
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian Certificate of Registration of Birth
Abroad
• Confirmation of Permanent Resident document
• Permanent Resident Card/Record of Landing
(IMM 1000)
• First Nation Status Card
• Statement of Live Birth (long version with seal)
• Current Canada Immigration and Citizenship
documentation (not visitor visa) – contact
Newcomer Welcome Centre, 725-8360
ext. 304 for more information.
INCLEMENT WEATHER
Parents and guardians are ultimately responsible for the
decision to send their children to school during severe
weather conditions. If your child (ren) walks to school,
please call and advise the office if you are keeping them
home on Bus Cancellation Days/Inclement Weather
days. This will help with the number of calls for Safe
Arrival.
The Bus Operator in consultation with the Transportation
Consortium decides upon bus cancellations. Please note
that if buses do not run in the morning they will not be
running at the 3:30 p.m. dismissal time.
All bus
cancellations will be announced over the local radio
stations: KICX 105.9 FM, SUNSHINE 89.1 FM, ROCK
95, 93.1 FM, CHAY 101 FM, LIFE 100.3 FM, THE DOCK
104.1 FM. All information regarding bus cancellations is
also posted on the Simcoe County District School Board
web-site at
www.scdsb.on.ca.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR OUR KITCHEN! If you
are able to give us a couple hours a week to help
with hot dogs or filling snack bowls, please contact
the school office.
WINTER SAFETY
Students are reminded regularly through morning
announcements to follow routines set in place to ensure
their safety. Throwing snowballs, of course, is prohibited.
Students will be given a snowball sheet to take home as
a warning should they choose to throw a snowball.
Repeated incidents will result in a suspension. Snow hills
are designated “out-of-bounds” to prevent injury from
tunneling or falling from the top. Several supervisors are
on duty at each outdoor break to monitor our expanse of
playground. These measures, combined with ongoing
class discussions, help maintain fun-filled but safe
outdoor breaks for our students.
DRESS WARM
Students are reminded regularly to dress
appropriately for the weather, and to arrive at
school as close as possible to 9:05 a.m. when
the entry bell rings. Parents of Bussed students are
asked not to send children to the bus stop too early (to
avoid having them standing in cold weather for lengthy
periods). We watch the temperature closely, and when it
drops in temperature we will always go by what the board
advises. The students are brought or kept inside. They
are, however, expected to be dressed warmly for our
regular cold Canadian winter weather!
NO ELECTRONIC ITEMS!!!!!
This is a reminder that electronic items (cell
phones, video cameras, MP3 players, iPODS,
Gameboys, etc.) and trading cards should not be
brought to school. We cannot be responsible for loss or
damage of such items. Our students are encouraged to
be physically active during outdoor recess times.
WRITTEN PERMISSION NEEDED
Please be aware that we are unable to accept
verbal permission for students to travel on out-ofschool excursions, including sports events. written
permission is required. It is very important to return
permission forms for excursions by the required return
date. Written permission is also necessary for students
to leave the school property at lunch time, unless their
usual routine is to return home for lunch. It is not
recommended that students walk to neighbourhood
eateries for lunch. Many extra-curricular activities are
offered to keep students involved at the school during the
lunch hour.
DECEMBER FOOD DRIVE RESULTS
WAY TO GO Orchard Park E.S. students and parents.
We held a food drive in December and collected loads of
food. The food was packed in boxes decorated like train
cars which were lined up in the front hall of the school.
As I told the students that donated, they have had a real
positive impact on many families’ lives over the holiday.
Thank you to all for a great demonstration of our school’s
caring attitude for our local community.
P.J./STUFFED ANIMAL SPIRIT DAY
We will be holding our next House Assembly and Spirit
Day on Friday, January 15. The theme for this Spirit Day
is STUFFED ANIMAL/PJ DAY. Students may dress up in
PJs (Students dress must still conform to the school
dress code. Students may wish to wear PJs over their
regular clothes), AND/OR students may bring their
favourite stuffed animal to earn house points. Grade six,
seven and eight students that participate, will also earn
credit towards their activity points.
CANDY CANES
A big thank you to our students and parents who helped
make our Candy Cane sales a huge success!
A
special thank you to the student elves that
dedicated their lunches and recesses to prepare, sell and
deliver to our students. A BIG thank you to Mrs. Thurlow
for once again organizing the Candy Cane Fundraiser!
Another BIG thank you goes out to our wonderful
Leadership Students. They gave up their daily recesses
to help students fill out the cards to deliver the candy
canes to friends each day.
COOKIES AND POPCORN!
Popcorn and chocolate chip cookies are
available to purchase in the office during 1st
and
2nd nutrition breaks for $1.00 each. Both snack items are
approved by the board.
SNOW DAY – QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
QUESTION
If my child(ren) rides a school bus do I need to call
safe arrival?
ANSWER
NO you do not need to contact safe arrival.
QUESTION
If my child(ren) walk to school do I need to call safe
arrival?
ANSWER
YES you must call safe arrival.
QUESTION
If I send my child(ren) to school will he/she receive
her milk?
ANSWER
YES your child(ren) will receive their milk.
QUESTION
If my child (ren)does not go to school does he/she get
milk another day?
ANSWER
YES your child(ren) will get milk twice on the next
regular school day, once at first nutrition break and
again at second nutrition break.
QUESTION
If my child(ren) go to school will he/she receive hot
dogs?
ANSWER
NO your child(ren) will not receive their hot dog on
the snow day but will receive hot dogs on the
following regular school day. A packed lunch must be
sent with them.
QUESTION
If my child(ren) go to school will he/she receive pizza?
ANSWER
NO your child(ren) will not receive their pizza on the
snow day but will receive pizza on the following
regular school day (never on a Monday-this is hot dog
day). A packed lunch must be sent with them.
QUESTION If the weather is extreme do my
child(ren) go outside for every recess and before class
begins in the morning?
ANSWER
The Simcoe County District School Board has given
schools protocol to follow being -25C or wind chill of 28C is advised to keep students in. Principals are
advised to use their professional judgement and we
would never send children out at that temperature
and we will always call children in before the start up
bell. The weather will be monitored throughout the
day. Temperature and weather permitting, students
might be sent out for 15 minutes to get fresh air.
BRANCH 34 ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION
REMEMBRANCE DAY WINNING PRIZE
STUDENTS!
Congratulations go out to these students that
entered a recent essay/poem/poster contest;
Flora H. Hilary C. Erica H. Jordin S. Mia G.
Owen L. Keira K. Breanna M.
YMCA AND SCDSB CHILD CARE NEED TO HEAR
FROM YOU!!
Before and after school (B&A) programs offer care
programs for children in Kindergarten to grade 6 before
and/or after the regular school day and some schools
offer full days of care on PA days and holidays.
B&A will only operate in schools if enough families
require care.
To help us determine the needs of each school, a survey
is being sent home with youngest/only students in
kindergarten to grade 5 or you can also complete the
survey online by visiting:
http://fluidsurveys.com/s/BeforeandAfterCare2016/
Even if your child already attends B&A, it is still important
to complete the survey. Please be sure to fill out the
survey online or return a paper copy to your school office
by Friday, February 12, 2016. Listings will be available
in early spring 2016 confirming which schools will
operate B&A in September 2016.
FRENCH PROGRAMS
French Immersion and Extended French info nights and
registration info The Simcoe County District School
Board (SCDSB) offers French Immersion (FI) and
Extended French as a Second Language (EFSL) at
select schools throughout the county. FI begins in Grade
1 and EFSL begins in Grade 5. These programs give
students a bilingual education and the opportunity to
become fluent in another language. Information sessions
will be held in January for parents of Kindergarten and
Grade 4 students. A letter will be sent home to those
parents with more details. Information session dates are
posted online at www.scdsb.on.ca under Programs,
French as a Second Language. To apply for these
programs, you must complete the online application form
in January at www.scdsb.on.ca under Programs, French
as a Second Language. The FI application form will be
available from 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 19, until 9 p.m. on
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. The EFSL application form will
be available from 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, until 9
p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015.While every effort will
be made to accommodate all FI applications, available
space and staffing will determine how many students can
be registered in the program. Applications will be
processed in the order they are received electronically.
EFSL is an open access program. This means that any
student starting Grade 5 in September 2015 will be
eligible for the EFSL program, and all online applications
will be processed. Parents who do not have Internet
access at home, or who require other assistance
accessing the online application, should contact the
school.
ORCHARD PARK ECO TEAM IN ACTION
Orchard Park Eco Team has been busy promoting
environmental initiatives and activities. The team of over
thirty students and staff are all dedicated to being the
change the world needs for environmental education and
action. The recycling and waste reduction program is one
of our initiatives. Recently we completed an audit of the
school waste. The results of the audit help us set goals
for reducing our school waste. Currently our school is
producing approximately 48 kilograms of recycling and
13 kilograms of garbage each day. Although, we are
doing a great job of recycling a large portion of our waste
we are generating a large amount. Most of the school
waste is created by lunches. Last spring we launched a
green bin program at Orchard Park. The green bin
program has reduced our garbage by well over a half,
which is a great. This green bin program helped our
school achieve a gold certification last year in the Ontario
Eco Schools program. Our goal this year is to reduce our
overall waste by promoting the use of reusable
containers for lunches. The single serve lunch items, that
students have, are creating most of the school blue bin
waste. The single serve items are often higher in salt,
sugars, and preservatives and less nutritious. Single
serve items also cost more on average. We hope that the
parents and guardians will consider using reusable lunch
items and help our school reduce lunch time waste and
the cost it has on our environment.
GRADE 8 INFORMATION NIGHT
Parent/Gr. 8 students are invited to join your home
school for grade 9 September 2016.
Twin Lakes Secondary School
-Wednesday, January 13, 2016
-7pm-8:30 pm
Orillia Secondary School
-Wednesday, January 13, 2016
-6pm
JANUARY DATES TO REMEMBER
12 - February Food Orders Go Home
15 - Spirit Day –P.J./Teddy Bear
19 - February Food Orders Due
19 - Little Caesar Kit Fundraiser Orders Due
21 - Gr 6 & 8’s Trip to Hardwood Hills
22 - Grade 2 Trip to Festival of Lights
25 - Kindergarten Registration Begins
27 - Little Caesar Kit Fundraiser Pick Up
29 - PA Day (no school for students)
February
3 - Domino’s Pizza Family Night
(more info to come)
REMINDER:
February Food Orders are due
January 19th
Used Book Fair- Super Cheap Books
In January, we will be holding our annual used
book fair. We ask students to donate books from home
that they are no longer reading, between Jan. 11-20.
Donated books will earn students house points for each
book, comic, etc. Intermediate students also receive
credit towards their activity points.
On Thursday, Jan. 21, students will be able to
purchase these books for 25¢ each during period 1 and 2.
Books that are left over from Thursday, may be
purchased on Friday, Jan. 22, during period 1 and 2.
Proceeds are used to fund library programs and the
purchase of materials for the library. This is a great way
for students to purchase books at an incredibly cheap
price.
ONE – WAY DRIVEWAY SIGNS
WE ASK THAT ALL PARENTS AND GUARDIANS
IN VEHICLES TO PLEASE ABIDE BY THE DO
NOT ENTER SIGNS POSTED AT THE END OF
CALVERLEY AND WEST STREET. WE ASK
THAT YOU ONLY ENTER OUR DRIVEWAY TO
THE SCHOOL OFF OF WEST STREET AND EXIT
THE SCHOOL ONTO CALVEREY STREET.
THANK YOU