Victoria Cross Public School
Newsletter
355 Durham Street West
Mount Forest, Ontario N0G 2L1
Principal: Karen Sims
www.ugdsb.on.ca/victoriacross
Phone: 519.323.2460
Fax: 519.323.2962
Vice Principal: Adam Bodiam
October 2014
The 2014-2015 School Year is off to a great start!
September was a busy month with many things
happening. We welcome Mme. McDougall to our
Core French position. Mme. McDougall has
included a letter in the newsletter to introduce
herself to the school community.
Detailed EQAO results for Reading, Writing, and
Mathematics were recently released and are
included in this newsletter. Individual student
scores for last year’s grade three and six students
were sent home at the end of September. If you
have any questions regarding your child’s scores
please contact the school.
Once again, our Book Fair was a success during
the second week of school and particularly busy
during our Meet the Teacher night.
Many teams have begun and October marks
tournaments for Junior and Intermediate Soccer
teams as well as the Cross Country meet.
As always, we encourage frequent communication
between home and school. Stay in touch!!
Karen Sims
Principal
_____________________________________
Bonjour!
I am very excited to be in the role of Madame
Darroch, in Core French, for the year while she is
away on maternity leave.
Many of you may know me from the community,
may have seen me in the school last year as an
emergency substitute teacher, or may have gone to
high school with me in this very building! After
having lived in Toronto, Vancouver, and Edmonton,
I returned to Mount Forest and my husband and I
have lived here for the last ten years, now with our
two children.
As with learning any new language, French is an
interesting, and sometimes frustrating one! I look
forward to the challenges and rewards of watching
your child grow in their ability to speak, read, and
listen to one of Canada’s national languages.
There are many helpful French-learning sites and
apps and would suggest that you check some out,
and try them along with your child! If you have a
Wellington County library card there is an excellent
free resource called “Mango Languages”. (Go to
http://www.wellington.ca/Library/ and click on
Online Resources, Choose Research Tools and
then click on eResources by Title, Choose Mango
Languages, and when a new window opens, simply
click Start Learning.) A free basic app that can be
used to have some fun and practice even while
in the car is duolingo or try listening to CBC in
French or watching some shows you love that have
been dubbed over.
Right now you may notice some similarities
between the grade 5, 6, and 7 programme as we
use the AIM programme’s “Le Bistro des Animaux”.
Students have been exposed to this action-based
programme with Mrs. Schenk in grade 4 and will be
able to show you actions that enable them to better
understand and recall French words. After the
production of a class play as the final piece each
grade will move in different directions. The Grade
8s have been working on an environmental unit that
corresponds with their trip to the Water Treatment
Plant.
I look forward to getting to know your child/ren and
you, their family, to a greater extent. If you have
any questions please don’t hesitate to write a note
in their agenda or to give me a call at the school.
Madame McDougall
Fundraising 2014/2015
Our Fund Raising campaign for this school year will
be kicking off this month with chocolate bar sales.
Our chocolate bar kick off assembly will be on
Monday, October 6 at 2:30 pm. Parents are
welcome to join us.
Chocolate Bar Sales
October 3 – October 20
JUMBO Aero, Kit Kat, Coffee Crisp and Smarties!
____________________________________
International Walk To
School Day
in motion would like to invite
the Elementary Schools of Wellington North to
participate
on
$3.00 per bar
Wednesday October 8th, 2014.
Family tickets go in a draw for prizes each time a
full box is sold and the money is returned. Funds
raised go directly back toward supporting student
events, resources, and equipment.
_____________________________________
Dates to Note
October 2 - Junior Soccer Tournament
October 2 - Intermediate Girls’ Soccer Tournament
October 3 – 20 Chocolate Bar Campaign
October 3 - Intermediate Boys Soccer Tournament
October 6 - Fundraiser Assembly 2:30 pm
October 7 - Grade 8 to Career Pathways
October 8 - Legion Presentations for Remembrance Day
October 16 - Cross Country Meet
October 20, 21, 22 - Fluoride Treatments
October 22 - Immunizations
October 24: PD Day
November 4th – Photo Day
_____________________________________
Small Parking Lot
Please do not park in our small parking lot at the
west end of the property at any time. There are
lines painted in this lot which indicate 3 parking
spots (1 designated handicap spot and 2 Board
designated spots). The rest of that area is marked
“No Parking”. This is to assure safe travel areas for
our walkers and bus students.
As always, we encourage you to park in less busy
areas and walk to pick up your child, or have your
child meet you. Such areas are:
• Durham Street (west of school property)
• Normanby Street (west side only)
• Foster Street
Please do not park anywhere in our bus loading
zones across the front of the school. OPP have
been working with us to keep these zones safe.
Walk, bike, blade, scooter, skip or hop
to school…
But don’t drive~!
If you ride the bus to school
you will be able to walk at school to participate.
Participants receive stickers, apples and other
incentives.
Appearances by various mascots
_____________________________________
Head Lice
It is the responsibility of the parent to check their
child’s head for lice and to inform the school if you
notice an outbreak. Please be diligent in checking
your child from time to time. Children should not
attend school if they have live lice.
____________________________________
School Council
Thank you to the parents who came out to our first
meeting of the year in September. We had a great
turnout. Newcomers are always welcome.
Next School Council Meeting
Tuesday, October 21
6:30 pm
____________________________________
Mount Forest Curling Club
Looking for a new sport to try? Mount Forest
Curling Club will be running a Little Rock program
for kids aged 4-11 on Sunday's.
The program is a great place for kids to learn the
basics of the game. The program places a huge
emphasis on having fun and meeting new friends.
Little Rockers learn the basic rules of the game,
delivery and balance, weight and line, sweeping,
teamwork and strategy.
While curling is an active sport, participation in the
program permits children to acquire a variety of life
skills in addition to curling sport-specific skills.
Some of these life skills include:
• problem solving
• concentration
• focus
• teamwork
• handling distractions
• managing stress and excitement
• communication and listening skills
For more information please contact Trevor Reid
(trev_reid@hotmail.com) or Murray Townsend
(mm@wightman.ca). Open House at the Mount
Forest Curling Club – October 15, 16, 17th from
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
_____________________________________
School Safety Check
We are into our second month of school. As a
community, we continue to stress the need for the
following to occur to help keep our students and
school safe:
• Park in designated spots to ensure the bus
and fire routes are clear at all times.
• Visitors are asked to always check-in at the
office.
• Supervision of students begins at 8:30 am.
Students are asked to not arrive on the
playground before this time, as the
playground is unsupervised. Your child’s
safety is always of the greatest concern to
our school staff.
_____________________________________
Mark your calendar for final public meeting
Public Information Session #4, the final public
meeting in the Wellington North Elementary
Accommodation Review, will be held at
Kenilworth PS from 7-9pm on Wednesday,
October 29, 2014. The purpose of this meeting
will be for the Accommodation Review
Committee (ARC) to present their Draft
Accommodation Report, which will include the
committee's recommended option(s). The
public will have an opportunity to provide
feedback that will be considered in the writing
of the final report.
_____________________________________
Inclement Weather
Information regarding transportation in inclement
weather will be available at a later date. In the
meantime, if bad weather occurs, please continue
to listen to any of the following weather stations:
CJOY 1460, CIMJ 106.1, CKKW 1090 AM, KOOL
105.3 FM, CKGL 570 AM, CHYM 96.7 FM, CKNX
920 AM & 101.7 FM. Or check the UGDSB
website: www.ugdsb.on.ca
Board Policy for Bus Students
It is a parent’s responsibility to determine
whether or not it is safe for their children to
leave for school in inclement or severe weather.
A parent must be aware of the following:
a) When a bus does not travel a route in the
morning due to fog, ice or snow conditions,
it will not travel that route in the afternoon.
b) If a parent elects to drive their pupils to
school, they are responsible for their pupils’
pick-up at dismissal time.
Important Notes
1) Each driver is ultimately responsible for
deciding if it is safe to complete their route.
If they decide to cancel or delay their route,
they will ensure that every effort is made to
inform parents of their decision.
2) While we have an excellent transportation
system, buses may be delayed in the
morning due to traffic, poor road conditions,
mechanical breakdowns, etc. To ensure
your child is not stranded at his/her pick-up
point; please make sure they know what to
do and where to go if their bus is more than
15 minutes late.
_____________________________________
Child Abuse Prevention Policy & Program
The Upper Grand District School Board places a
high priority on the safety of our students. The
Child Abuse Prevention Policy is evidence of our
commitment to this priority. The following is a quote
from the policy:
“Every citizen in the community shares a
responsibility for our children. School officials and
teachers share this collective community
responsibility for creating safe and nurturing
environments for children. Under the Child and
Family Services Act, this responsibility includes the
legal requirement to report to the local Children’s
Aid Society any suspected child abuse or other
situations where a child may be in need of
protection. Teachers and other Board employees
have a special opportunity to know and understand
children during their most influential years of
development. They are in a unique position to be
able to see early signs of maltreatment, and to
know or hear about the abuse and neglect that is
often suffered by children.”
As required in the Policy, we will be teaching ageappropriate lessons to help our students identify
abuse and protect themselves from abusive
situations. The goal is to provide children with the
tools they need to keep themselves safe. The
lessons cover a broad range of safety issues
including bullying, stranger danger and abuse by a
known and trusted adult.
These lessons will occur during the month of
February and March. For grades one, three and
five, the lessons will be team taught by our Child
and Youth Counselor and classroom teachers.
There is no formal program in grades two, four and
six, although the safety concepts are reviewed by
classroom teachers informally. Students in grades
7 will also participate in a Red Cross program
presented by the school’s Child & Youth Counsellor
entitled “It’s Not Your Fault”. These two hour
presentations will occur in homeroom classes.
We encourage you to discuss with your child at
home, the concepts taught in the Child Abuse
Prevention Curriculum.
_____________________________________
Fluoride Treatments
The dental offices of Dr. R.G. McFarlane, D.D.S.,
encourage families to take advantage of The
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Unit’s
free topical Flouride applications taking place here
at the school October 20, 21, and 22. The
applications will help decrease the risk of dental
decay in your child.
_____________________________________
A Successful Terry Fox Run!
A huge thank you goes out to all our Victoria
Cross families and friends who so generously
supported our Terry Fox Run! Our final total
was $701.17! This year we dedicated our
school’s Terry Fox Run to the memory of Mrs.
Bonnie Kirkland, a special member of our
Victoria Cross family. She was a dedicated
volunteer, Reading Tutor and E. A., who
passed away this summer after a brave battle
with cancer. Thanks again for all your
donations to this important cause!
_____________________________________
Waste less – demonstrate your
RESPONSIBILITY
Since we all produce garbage, we are all part of the
problem. We can also be part of the solution.
Instead of throwing away items we no longer need,
we can make sure they find their way to the next
stage in their life cycle. We can REDUCE the
amount of waste we produce in the first place;
REUSE an item or find someone who can use it; or
RECYCLE the product so that our valuable natural
resources are used again and again.
But the best R really is to REDUCE the amount of
materials that you buy and use. The less stuff we
buy the better! Choose products that are durable
and that last a long time, and purchase items that
have the least amount of packaging.
Did you know? Every ton of paper -- or 220,000
sheets-- that is recycled saves approximately 17
trees. So purchasing post-consumer recycled
paper, and making sure that it gets recycled again,
can make a difference.
It is our responsibility to make good choices and
take good care of planet Earth. Demonstrate your
responsibility by practicing the 3 R’s at school, and
at home. For further action, ask your parents to
take you shopping with them so you can help them
make good decisions about products to buy and
reduce packaging. Some examples are
concentrated laundry soap that gives you the same
cleaning power in a smaller package, plastic refill
pouches for hand soap, and toothpaste tubes that
stand alone rather than being sold inside a
cardboard box. Spices and food items can be
scooped out of a bulk bin instead of buying
them in individual boxes. Buy paper that comes
from recycled paper instead of old growth forests.
Say ‘no’ to plastic bags and always bring your own
cloth bag to every store you go to.
Don't trash the planet! - Let’s go green, everyone!
Community Events
Kids’ Club
Kids in grade 1-5 are invited to come to an after-school
Bible Club that uses the gymnasium at VCPS. This free
club runs from 3:30 - 4:30 every Wednesday and
includes games, crafts, Bible Stories & lots of other fun
activities. Permission forms can be found in the office if you have any further questions, please call Melissa
Porter at 519-323-9400.
Rug Hooking Demonstration – Saturday, Oct. 26,
11:30am-1:30 pm, all ages. Artist Brenda Baker, who’s
work is on display this month, will demonstrate the what,
when and how of rug hooking.
Teen Café (Spooky Edition) – Thursday, Oct. 31 from
6:30-8:00pm for ages 12 and over. Too old to trick or
treat? Spend your Hallowe’en at the library, watching
scary movies, eating candy, and playing games. Prize
for best costume. Please register. 519-323-4541
_____________________________________
Mount Forest Public Library Programs
There are several programs running in October,
including:
After School Book Club - Mondays from 4-5pm
PA Day Programme - Harvest Celebration,
Friday, Oct. 11 from 11am to 2pm for grades K-6.
Please register.
Parent-Child Book Club – Saturday, Oct. 19, 1111:45am (grades 4-7)
PA Day Movie – Friday, Oct. 25, 2pm (school age)
Ontario Public Library Week – Oct. 20-26 during
regular branch hours. Book draws and food for fines will
run all week, as well if you vote for your favourite 2013
Evergreen title; you will have a chance to win tickets to
see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at
the River Run Centre!
Child and Parent Institute
The CPRI Brake Shop is pleased to offer a limited
number of seats for our upcoming course, starting
Wednesday, October 30. There are seven sessions in
this course that looks at Tourette syndrome, ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder, oppositional defiance and “rage” sensory
processing dysfunction. Call Karen Garbutt (CMHA) at
519-323-4373 ext. 421 to register.
www.leakybrakes.ca
After School Bible Club
All kids from kindergarten to grade 6 are invited to
an after school bible club held in the gym at Victoria
Cross. This free club runs from 3:30 - 4:30 every
Thursdays and includes Bible Stories, games,
prizes & lots of fun! If you would like more
information, please call Melissa at 519-323-9400.
Victoria Cross Public School
GRADE 3 AND GRADE 6 EQAO RESULTS - LEVEL 3, and 4
In May 2014 Grade 3 and Grade 6 students in the Upper Grand District School Board participated in the EQAO
province wide testing. The tasks which the students are asked to perform are based on the expectations from the
Ontario Curriculum for Language and Mathematics for grade 3 or grade 6.
The charts below outline the percentage of students in the school, board and province who achieved or exceeded
provincial expectations (a level 3 or 4) on the EQAO evaluation.
Grade 3 Results
Reading
Writing
Mathematics
School
69
84
78
Board
66
72
60
Province
70
78
67
Reading
Writing
Mathematics
School
73
78
54
Board
79
75
50
Province
79
78
54
Grade 6 Results
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation: What Do Parents / Guardians Need to
Know?
What is Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation?
On July 1, 2014, Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL) came into effect. Under the legislation, Board staff and
Trustees must not send commercial electronic messages (CEMs) that encourage recipients to participate in any
commercial activity, even if it is not-for-profit, unless they have the recipient’s prior consent.
What are commercial electronic messages?
A CEM is an electronic message whose purpose is to encourage commercial activity. CEMs include emails or text
messages to inform parents and community members of promotions, advertising or offers for sale, such as school
pictures, field trips, fun fairs, pizza or hot dog days, yearbooks or fundraising for school. A message is also
considered a CEM when it redirects the recipient to a website that has commercial content (e.g. an email directing
someone to the fundraising page on the school website). Electronic messages that have no commercial content,
but are for informational purposes, e.g. student progress or attendance information, notice of a community
meeting, can be sent without the recipient’s prior consent.
How does CASL apply to me?
The Board is required to comply with the Legislation. As a parent, we sometimes communicate to you by email or
text messages, in order to let you know about activities at the school. If these activities involve promotions,
advertising or offers for sale, such as school pictures, field trips, fun fairs, pizza or hot dog days, yearbooks or
fundraising for school, we are required to get your consent before such commercial electronic messages (CEMs)
are sent.
How can I give consent?
At the start of each school year, an information form will be sent home with students directing parents and
guardians to our CASL website to provide consent.
What happens if I do not provide consent?
If consent is not provided, you will not receive electronic messages containing commercial content and may find it
more difficult to be aware of the activities that take place in school, and which your child may have an interest in
participating.
How can I withdraw my consent?
You can withdraw your consent by unsubscribing at any time. Board staff will act within 10 days to unsubscribe
you from receiving CEMs.
How long is my consent valid?
Your consent is valid until revoked.
Whom do I contact if I need more information?
For more information, you may contact the Communications department at 519-822-4420 x 725. You may also
contact the Freedom of Information Officer at 519-822-442- x 721.
Upper Grand District School Board
Upper Grand District School Board: Request for Consent
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) came into force on July 1, 2014. As a result,
the Upper Grand District School Board, would like to ensure that we have your consent to
receive newsletters, school and Board updates, announcements, event invitations, and other
electronic messages which may contain advertising or promotions regarding school fundraisers,
field trips, the sale of yearbooks, student pictures, uniforms, books, prom or dance tickets, or
similar events and offers.
If you wish to receive the above communications from us, please visit our CASL
registration website at:
www.ugdsb.on.ca/CASL
By registering your email on this webpage you will receive electronic communication from the
school which may or may not contain commercial electronic messages as described above. If
consent is not provided, you will not receive electronic messages containing commercial
content and may find it more difficult to be aware of the activities that take place in
school, and which your child may have an interest in participating.
If you have any questions or if you wish to withdraw your consent at any time, please visit the
same site and click on “Unsubscribe” to remove your name from our contact list.
For additional information on Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation you may visit our board’s
website at www.ugdsb.on.ca.
Talking About Mental Health!
One Month into School
Some students love to go back to school and are happy to go every day. Other students start each fall with a
positive attitude about school, but after the honeymoon period of the first few weeks are over, things begin to
slide.
One parent recently commented to me:
“I am walking home from school with a child crying the whole way”
“My kids are acting irrationally and freaking out”
She wanted me to share with you that if you are in this situation, you are not alone. For some students, this is a
normal pattern. For some of our children and youth, school is stressful. After relaxing, having fun or at least
being school free for the summer, they had built up the energy to take on school every day, but after a few
weeks back they are starting to get drained and strained. You may notice more: talk of headaches and stomach
aches, tiredness, irritability, crying, and refusals.
We all do the best that we can. If we are not doing well then we are lacking the skills or resources to do better.
So what to do? Start with recognizing this is normal and it too will change. Just like the honeymoon phase of
the first weeks, this phase will come to pass as well.
Begin with the basics: good sleep, good food, outdoor activities. This is the strong base that we all need to
function well. Keep a consistent routine with regular times for waking up, eating meals, school work, and
bedtime routines.
Put some down time into every day. Quiet time with the kids: reading a book, listening to music, going for a
walk, playing a quiet game, doing relaxation activities. We all need to opportunity to de-stress.
Acknowledge that you notice how hard it is for your child and ask “What is up?”. Perhaps they can tell you
what is going and perhaps they can’t. That is OK. Just acknowledging that you see it is hard for them is a good
start.
Talk to your child’s teacher about how they are feeling. Make a plan to make the student feels welcome in the
class. Look at ways of working break times into the day at school. Set up a buddy system to pair students who
are less comfortable with more comfortable students.
Get your child or youth to school every day. Students who are finding school hard may want to stay home. The
best way to increase anxiety related to school is to keep your child or youth at home. The more they stay away,
the harder it will be for them to go to school. Make sure your child knows that you feel good about their school
and classroom that you are comfortable with them being there. Talk to the teacher to discuss how to support
your child at school.
Set a positive, optimistic tone about school. Find something positive that your child likes about school and build
from there. Build on their strengths or connections. Notice what they are doing well and praise them for their
coping skills. Children and youth (and adults) pick up on what is going on in their environment so if the
environment is stressful then we will pick up that stress but if the environment is positive and optimistic, then
they will pick that up. Creating a positive attitude toward school is contagious!
And, as always, don’t forget to breathe. Right now, take three deep breaths. In through the nose, out through
the mouth. With each out breath, release the tension and tightness. Every time you walk through a doorway take
three deep breaths. Encourage your kids to do this too. The stress that you and your kids release throughout the
day will mean less stress at the end of the day and a happier trip home!
For more tips about Back to School transitions:
http://www.anxietybc.com/sites/default/files/CopingwithBacktoSchool.pdf
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/home_school/b2shandout.aspx
October is Down Syndrome Awareness month
A whole month dedicated to celebrating, advocating and bringing awareness to Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome
occurs when an individual has a full or partial copy of chromosome 21. This additional genetic material alters the
course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down Syndrome (NDSS)
People with Down Syndrome attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them and contribute to society
in many ways. While there may be a cognitive delay, the effect is usually mild to moderate and is not indicative of
the many strengths and talents that each individual possesses. Quality educational programs, a stimulating home
environment, good health care and positive support from family, friends and the community enable people with
Down Syndrome to develop to their full potential and live fulfilling lives.
Get involved! October offers multiple ways to participate in activities, events, and to help in raising awareness.
Participate in a local Buddy Walk, educate those around you using NDSS’s Youtube channel .
http://www.youtube.com/user/NDSSorg The Canadian Down Syndrome Society offers educator resources that
include videos parents can view with their children about children with Down Syndrome.
Great Job!
Heather Dyer, Elementary Curriculum Leader
There is no question that everyone loves a compliment. Our confidence grows, we feel happy and motivated, we
get a sense of accomplishment. But what if the only feedback we ever received were statements like ‘great job’?
Okay….what we did was good, but how do we get better? What do we need to improve? What, specifically,
about what we did was ‘great’? One of the things Educators are working on in Ontario is looking at how to go
beyond the “great job” and “good try” feedback to give more of what’s called Descriptive Feedback to students
around their learning. The goal of giving descriptive feedback is to improve student learning in a specific and
targeted way.
The most effective time for students to receive descriptive feedback is during the learning process so that they
can take the feedback given to them and move their learning forward or improve on what they are doing. Often
descriptive feedback takes the form of a strength what the student is doing well, and a next step what they need
to work on next. Usually the feedback is based on “Success Criteria”, which is a list of criteria that have been
written, in collaboration with students, and posted for students and teachers to access throughout the learning.
The goal is for students to always know how to be successful.
Definitely Educators are going to be the main people giving students feedback. However, classrooms are also
including opportunities for students to give each other descriptive feedback and time for students to self-reflect
on their learning and where they are based on the Success Criteria. This is part of students taking ownership for
their learning and improvement with the Educator there to provide descriptive feedback and coaching along the
way. In the words of leadership expert, Dr. Ken Blanchard, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions”. With
descriptive feedback students know precisely what they have done well and what their next learning goal is. It is
through giving specific, targeted feedback that Educators can help each student reach their goals and celebrate
success.