Westdale Public School

Transcription

1 Westdale Public School N E W S L E T T E R D e c e m b e r From the Principal s Principal: Mrs. Poppy Gilliam Vice-Principal Mr. Jason Clarke Secretary: Mrs. Dawn Holderney I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e : Inclement Weather 2 Food Drive 2 JK Open House Secondary Open Houses 4 4 Literacy 5 French Immersion 7 Outdoors 8 Calendar 9 Hello everyone, Now that we are into December, we are asking students to kindly bring warmer coats, boots, etc., as we will endeavour to go outside for as many breaks as possible. We have already seen that the temperature can drop drastically on any given day, so better to be prepared for whatever comes our way. I want to extend a thank you to our wonderful School Council who once again purchased a t-shirt for every child and staff member in the school. This year they chose pink shirts to support the National anti-bullying campaign. The back of the shirts say Make a Difference, a wonderful message for us to live by every day. We have also had the Niagara Ice Dogs come in to do an anti-bullying presentation for our entire school, and we are helping them promote the message Bullying, Just Stop It!. Finally, this month is sure to bring lots of excitement as we all get caught up in the holiday season - whether we are observing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Diwali or any other celebration, it will be a month filled with fun and anticipation. Our Primary (Grades 1-3) Holiday Concert is on Tuesday, December 15th at 2pm, and our Kindergarten Holiday Concert is on Wednesday, December 16th at 2pm. Please come and join us if you can. Students will finish school on Friday, December 18th and will return to school on Monday, January 4th. From our Westdale family to yours, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very safe and happy holiday season! Mrs. Poppy Gilliam Help this holiday season? If you are a family in need or know a family who could use some extra support this holiday season, please kindly call Mrs. Gilliam to let her know as we will be distributing the food and toys that we collect internally to our own Westdale families. Anything extra will be donated to Community Care. Thank you.

2 P a g e 2 Inclement Weather Conditions W e s t d a l e P u b l i c S c h o o l

3 N E W S L E T T E R P a g e 3 JOY DAY December Celebrations Our School Council will help us spread some joy in our classrooms and the school on Friday, December 4th. Students will be involved in making decorations to celebrate holiday cheer. Festivities will be concluded with a cookie and hot chocolate provided by School Council. BREAKFAST CLUB Westdale School and our School Council have been offering a breakfast program 5 days a week. Foods offered are healthy and include 3 food groups on any given day (e.g., bagels, fruit, cheese, yogurt, cereal bars, smoothies and oatmeal). If you are able to help out or have any questions, please call the office. We are always looking for volunteers. Your commitment would be from 8:15am until 8:45am. Please call Mrs. Gilliam if you can help out. CANADIAN TIRE $ We are collecting Canadian Tire $ until Friday, December 11th. All funds collected will help purchase toys for some of our families in need. FOOD & TOY DRIVE For the month of December, Westdale will be focusing on the character trait of Caring. To help put this character trait into action, we will be collecting food items and toys for all ages that can be distributed to families in our community who need them most. (You will notice our piles of food growing at the front doors.) To encourage the giving of food, School Council, for their annual dance-a-thon, have offered students the opportunity to either make a cash donation or a food donation. There will be some random draws for participants. Thank you School Council for your support in this initiative as well! DANCE-A-THON Get ready to boogie on Wednesday, December 9th! Thanks to School Council for organizing our annual student Dance-a-Thon!!! Kids will have an opportunity to get some great physical exercise and dance for a good cause! School Council is doing the dance-a-thon for kids to have fun, as a fund raiser, and as a way to collect canned goods to help families in need this holiday season. What a great way to teach kids how they can make a difference and help others! WINTER PLAYGROUND SAFETY Soon the protective surface on the playground will become frozen, and the play structures (e.g., slide, climbers) will be closed for the winter to ensure the safety of our students. We will let you know when it is officially closed. Please note that this closure will also pertain to children who do not attend Westdale School (e.g., younger siblings).

4 Kindergarten Open House Secondary Open Houses A.N. Myer Secondary: Thursday, December 3-6:30 p.m. Beamsville Secondary: Wednesday, December 2-6:30 p.m. E.L. Crossley Secondary: Tuesday December 1-6:30 p.m. Eastdale Secondary: Thursday, December 3 6:00 p.m. Eden High: Tuesday, December 1-7:00 p.m. Fort Erie Secondary: Wednesday, December 2-6:30 p.m. Governor Simcoe Secondary: Thursday, December 3-6:30 p.m. Grimsby Secondary: Tuesday, December 1 6:30 p.m. Laura Secord Secondary: Wednesday, December 2 6:00 p.m. Port Colborne High School: Monday, November 30-6:00 p.m. Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School: Wednesday, December 2-5:30 p.m. St. Catharines Collegiate: Wednesday, December 2 6:00 p.m. Sir Winston Churchill Secondary: Thursday, December 3-6:00 p.m. South Lincoln High School: Thursday, December 3 6:30 p.m.

5 N E W S L E T T E R P a g e 5 Westdale s Spotlight on Literacy The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. - Dr. Seuss Oral language is the foundation for reading. Listening and speaking are a child s first introduction to language. Talking and singing teach your child the sounds of language, making it easier for him or her to learn how to read. These oral experiences are necessary for reading skills to emerge. Some fun ways to engage your child in oral language include: singing songs saying nursery rhymes reciting poetry playing rhyming games making up silly riddles telling funny stories By engaging in these activities, your child will build an appreciation for words and language. This is fundamental for reading and writing to happen. If your child s first language is not English, he/she can still become an excellent English reader and writer. You can support your child at home by developing oral language skills in his/her first language, as well as by reading with your child in your first language. In other words, do the same kinds of activities mentioned, but do them in your child s first language. These experiences will prove to be invaluable!

6 MOVEMBER A special thanks out there to the men who helped raise money and awareness this month for Movember! A very special thank you to Mr. Strickland who brought in cookies each week to sell to raise money for the cause, and raised almost $2000! Mrs. Philip s class also got into the fun and wore mustaches as well and contributed funds to help Mr. Strickland s campaign! Raising Canadian Tire Money to help Westdale families Congratulations to Scarlett who brought in the most Canadian Tire $, and was able to recreate Mr. Nelson s beard in front of all the intermediate kids. All of the Canadian Tire money raised will go towards purchasing toys and items for Westdale families in need this Holiday Season. If you are a family in need this holiday season, please give Mrs. Gilliam a call at the office.

7 FRENCH IMMERSION French Immersion Registration The French Immersion program (offered at French Immersion sites) is open to all students in Senior Kindergarten interested in enrolling for the year. If you want your child to develop a high proficiency and fluency in Canada s two official languages, French Immersion has a great deal to offer. Features of the French Immersion program: Development of French language skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing from grades one to twelve; Designed to be a second language program for children whose first language is NOT French; Current enrolment of over 2,500 elementary students; Certificate of French Immersion Studies awarded upon successful completion of the elementary and secondary Immersion program; Promoting understanding of different cultures; Providing additional opportunities for employment using French as the working language; An increased ability to communicate and interact with confidence in French. Registration will open January 4 th, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. and will close February 16 th, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. For more information about French Immersion in the District School Board of Niagara visit or call Mrs. Gilliam or Mr. Clarke. Parent Information session for Jeanne Sauvé will be held on Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 6-7 p.m. Jeanne Sauvé French Immersion Public School Principal: Mme C. Sitko Vice-Principal: Mme P. McIntee 91 Bunting Road, St Catharines, L2P 3G8

8 Walker Living Campus Outdoor Education Centre Recently the Grades 2, 6 and 7 classes enjoyed some amazing adventures at the Walker Living Campus Outdoor Education Centre. Students did adventure hikes, low ropes courses as well as some geocaching. The Centre looks AMAZING and we are so lucky to have been given a sneak peek before it officially opens for elementary students!

9 THANK YOU SCHOOL COUNCIL FOR OUR T-SHIRTS! UPCOMING DATES: Friday, December 4th: Joy Day (Thanks to School Council for our hot chocolate and cookies!) Tuesday December 8th: Grade 1-8 trip to see Mary Poppins Tues., December 8th: Please bring back Dance-a-thon pledge forms with donations ($ or food). Thanks! Wednesday, December 9th: Dance-a-thon Tuesday, December 15th: 2pm - Primary (Grades 1 3) Holiday Concert Wednesday, December 16th: 2pm - Kindergarten Holiday Concert Thursday, December 17th 9am: School carol sing - parents welcome Friday, December 18th - 9am: Caring Paws for Applause Assembly and carol sing - wear your craziest holiday sweater