HOMELANDS SENIOR PUBLIC SCHOOL - Pages - Homeschools.peelschools.org/1323/Lists/SchoolNewsLetters/February 2014... · Name Position Donna Keller and ... Hicks-Ruttan, Salma Nassar,

February, 2014

Thank you, Robert Lobovsky (Proud Principal)

Brrr!! It's cold outside!!!

forward to longer days and warmer weather as spring

approachesmeantime . . . let’s have som

FUN!! Ski Day was a GREAT DAY for everyone who participated!!

Read

Report cards for students in grades 6 to 8 will be sent home on Friday, February 7

not be a school-wide parent/teacher will receive a letter with your child’s report card that indicates if your child is meeting

expectations. Should your child’s progress be of concern, the teacher will contact you March 1st to discuss ways to work together to further support his/her learning needs.

always, feel free to contact the teacher if you wish to discuss your child’s progress.

The best way to see how your child is progressing in the school is through t

receive. Some of the ways you may keep up

• talk to your child about school

• review your child’s homework and agenda

• be sure to see marks your child has received on assig

• ongoing communication with your child’s teacher

As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please contact your

child’s teacher or Mr. Lobovsky in the school office.

HOMELANDS 2420 Homelands Drive

Mississauga, Ontario

L5K 1H

Phone (905) 822-2031

Superintendent: Wendy Dowling (905) 366

Our School Website: http://schools.peelschools.org/1323

Brrr!! It's cold outside!!! I'm sure we are all looking

forward to longer days and warmer weather as spring

approaches . . . but in the meantime . . . let’s have some

FUN!! Ski Day was a GREAT DAY for everyone who participated!!

Read on for some fun pictures of this school

Report cards for students in grades 6 to 8 will be sent home Friday, February 7th. Similar to last year,

parent/teacher interview day for the February reporting period. You will receive a letter with your child’s report card that indicates if your child is meeting

expectations. Should your child’s progress be of concern, the teacher will contact you to discuss ways to work together to further support his/her learning needs.

always, feel free to contact the teacher if you wish to discuss your child’s

The best way to see how your child is progressing in the school is through the ongoing communication you

receive. Some of the ways you may keep up-to-date about your child’s progress include the following:

review your child’s homework and agenda

be sure to see marks your child has received on assignments and tests

ongoing communication with your child’s teacher

As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please contact your

child’s teacher or Mr. Lobovsky in the school office.

OMELANDS SENIOR PUBLIC SCHOOL Mr. Robert Lobovsky - Principal

Ms. Laurie Lambie – Office Manager

Mrs. Leslie Morrison – Office Assistant

Superintendent: Wendy Dowling (905) 366-8800 Trustee: Brad MacDonald (905

: http://schools.peelschools.org/1323

on for some fun pictures of this school-wide event.

Report cards for students in grades 6 to 8 will be sent home Similar to last year, there will

for the February reporting period. You will receive a letter with your child’s report card that indicates if your child is meeting

expectations. Should your child’s progress be of concern, the teacher will contact you by to discuss ways to work together to further support his/her learning needs. As

always, feel free to contact the teacher if you wish to discuss your child’s

he ongoing communication you

date about your child’s progress include the following:

As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please contact your

8800 Trustee: Brad MacDonald (905) 828-6929

SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS

At our last School Council meeting we discussed several items of

importance to Homelands School and community, including plans for

additional renovations to our school library. March is going to be a busy

time as we are hoping to have a new and improved learning space ready

for students.

We also had a rich discussion about mental health needs in our

community. Research shows that when we identify and work to

support individuals at risk, difficulties around mental health can

be positively addressed. See the Guidance section in this

newsletter for Mental Health Tips. We are also adding similar

tips to our weekly announcements.

Your Voice Counts is a survey that HOMELANDS will be running

with the goal to get perception data from all students, staff,

and parents. We will use this data to help guide our future

School Success plans. More information will be communicated

home in April. ☺

School Council wants to remind you that all parents

are welcome to attend our School Council Meetings.

Our next meeting is on Thursday, February 20 at 6:30pm in the library. ☺☺☺☺ Please come! ☺☺☺☺

A PARENT’S GUIDE TO SUPPORTING THE PROVINCIAL REPORTING SYSTEM

The third and fourth pages of the Ministry report card provides parents and

students with an opportunity to discuss and record goals and plans to improve

achievement for the next term. Celebrating strengths and committing support

to areas that need improvement help build a partnership towards the efforts in

the classroom. The following suggestions are provided to support parents in this

endeavor:

• Help your child to understand that a 70-79 grade is a positive accomplishment.

• Remind your child that a 60-69 means that he/she is approaching the standard.

• Encourage your child to always strive to do his/her best.

• Build on your child’s strengths. Use difficulties as a basis for identifying where additional

support is needed.

• Work together with your child to help him/her to achieve the “Next Steps” identified by the

teacher on the report card.

• Monitor your child’s homework.

• Promote good work habits by ensuring regular attendance and punctuality.

• Remind your child to pay attention in class and to ask teachers for assistance if instructions

are not clearly understood.

The third and fourth pages of the report card must be signed and returned to the school after

each reporting period. These pages are included in your child’s Ontario School Record file.

The student should complete the bottom of page 3 and sign it. Parents should also sign and

date the bottom of page.

School Council 2013 2014 Name Position Donna Keller and

Naqvi Sumaranjum Chair

Co-Chair Shared responsibility (rotation)

Secretary Carlene Simpson Treasurer Robert Lobovsky School Principal Mr Peron & Ms

Strychowsky Teacher reps

Community Rep.

Council- non specific

Jan Kuryluk Trasi Arndt, Maxine Fyffe-Roberts, Galini Gavrilidou, Louise Fong, Meg Lui, Wilkin Chan, Charlaine Haughton, Cindy Fair, Kimberly Hicks-Ruttan, Salma Nassar, Sumera Naqui, Farah Azhar,

Guidance Corner(Mrs. Onslow, Mrs. D'Orazio) In December Homelands had

Bank. Homelands was please to be able to send off over 500 food items! A big thanks to the students in 611 for helping

Feeder School Visits

Our Link Crew Students did a fabulous job of visiting

schools to assist them in their transition to

middle school life at Homelands. Grade 5 and

6 students were able to enjoy various team

building activities.

Option Sheets

Thank you for your patience and understandingcourse selections for high school via My Blue Print.

Upcoming Events

Peel Police will be February 11the legal implications around have been few reports of cyber bullying this year can never address the importance of good digital citizenship

enough.

Our new Homelands MOSAIC is comprised of pictures of each and every student and staff. TOGETHER we ALL make a difference!! Check it out the next time you visitschool ☺☺☺☺

Guidance Corner (Mrs. Onslow, Mrs. D'Orazio)

In December Homelands had a food drive to collect non-perishable foods to be given to Eden Food k. Homelands was please to be able to send off over 500 food items! A big thanks to the

students in 611 for helping with the planning of this very important outreach activity

Our Link Crew Students did a fabulous job of visiting our feeder

schools to assist them in their transition to

middle school life at Homelands. Grade 5 and

6 students were able to enjoy various team

ing as students and staff have been learning the new process of entering course selections for high school via My Blue Print.

Peel Police will be visiting Homelands on Tuesday, February 11th to meet with students and discuss the legal implications around cyber bullying. Although there have been few reports of cyber bullying this year can never address the importance of good digital citizenship

Our new Homelands MOSAIC is comprised of pictures of each and

tudent and staff. TOGETHER we ALL make a difference!!

the next time you visit our

perishable foods to be given to Eden Food k. Homelands was please to be able to send off over 500 food items! A big thanks to the

with the planning of this very important outreach activity.

ff have been learning the new process of entering

Tuesday, meet with students and discuss

. Although there have been few reports of cyber bullying this year (touch wood) you can never address the importance of good digital citizenship

Homelands…Making a Difference

February and March’s guidance program involves the whole school participating in "Making a

Difference"! Grade 6 students will be researching aspects of mental health. Grade 7 students

will have the opportunity to research and showcase charities of their choice. Grade 8 classes will

be selecting, organizing and executing a charitable event. Please ask your child which charity

they are supporting and how they plan to contribute to it’s cause.

Mental Health Tip: Make sure you’re getting enough rest. Sleep is the body’s way of recharging, meaning that sleep doesn’t only increase your energy—it actually boosts your mental health!

After a month of intramural basketball round robin games, the playoffs took place in January. Six

strong teams battled it out on the courts, but the Pistons reigned superior. Congratulations to all of our players!

The senior boys and senior girls basketball teams are currently practicing in preparation for their upcoming tournaments. (See dates below). Information forms will be sent home to parents regarding dates.

Senior Girls: February 25th @ Homelands all day Senior Boys: February 27th @ Homelands all day Exhibition Games for Senior Boys: Tues Feb 11th and Wed Feb 12th, at Homelands, after school.

HOMELANDS IS GOING SKATING!! On Friday February the 14th, students will be going

skating in the morning. Permission forms were sent home on Friday January 31st containing all of

t he information. No skates? No problem! We have a rental

service that will bring the skates

right to the students at a minimal

cost. Helmets are mandatory for

beginners, and highly

recommended for all other

skaters.

Greetings from the music department. February is an exciting month! The Senior Concert and

Jazz Bands will be going to Hamilton on February 26th to compete at the Golden Horseshoe Music Festival. This is a MusicFest Canada sanctioned event where music ensembles are adjudicated and awarded with either Gold, Silver or Bronze standards. Some groups get invited to perform at the Nationals in May, very exciting stuff! Anyway, the bands are very busy rehearsing for this very important event.

Also, many students have been taking part in auditions for our Spring Musical "My Son Pinocchio". This is going to be an awesome show that will feature many of our talented students as actors, singers, orchestra musicians and those who work behind the scenes. More details will be forthcoming as we get closer to this exciting event. Performances will take place June 2nd, 3rd and 4th. In our music classes, grade 7's have been singing songs about this great country of ours and grade 8's are studying the roots of popular music; spirituals and the blues. In particular, the grade 8's will be able to create and perform their own blues songs later in the unit. Very exciting! Our instrumental classes continue to become more and more proficient on their instruments and many of these students are showcasing their talents in the various bands here at Homelands. Please remind your children to practice diligently, at

least 4 times a week and to keep handing in those wonderful practice logs! Musically yours, H. Allen, Music teacher

From the Art Studio Mr. Johnston

January was a very productive month in the art studio. We all, grade 6's, 7's and 8's did a review exercise in drawing, to ensure that we all knew what the basics of a good piece of artwork should demonstrate: a subject, contrast, evidence of texture and a centre of interest. These were put together in a class banner and above the classes' lockers. The content of the drawing was an invented or mythological figure. Many outstanding drawings were produced. This led to a study of indigenous Canadians. There is rich culture of mythology and story telling to

be shared and learned. The 8's moved to the Pacific North West community of the Tahltan and the 7's took a trip to Nunavut and the Inuit community. The 8's are learning about the headwaters of the 3 big salmon rivers and the myth of their origin through a ceremonial dress. The emphasis is on the strong sense of shape and design that comes from those communities. The 7's, through the work of Kenojuak, are learning about the owl and its symbolism as protector and guide, not to mention migration. They are using the print medium to learn about how copies are made and how colours relate to each other. The hallways will be a lot brighter when all the work gets on the walls. This will cheer us up during these winter months.

LIBRARY NEWS Great News from the Homelands Library Commons! We are now in full swing with the Red Maple Reading program. Students have selected their books and are ready to engage in rich dialogue and take part in a variety of literacy activities and team building exercises. Our Library Leaders are working hard as always keeping our collection organized and up to date. A

big thank you to them for their continued efforts and their dedication to our Library. Also, the Homelands Book Fair was a huge success! A big thank you to all our student and teacher volunteers. A special thank you to our parent volunteer Cindy Fair who went above and beyond to help make the book fair a huge success!!

Conference helps parents 'make a difference in literacy and

beyond'

Make a difference in literacy and beyond – practica l ways parents can boost learning is on Saturday, March 29, 2014 at Mississauga Secondary School in Mississauga. This free learning event is open to Peel parents of students at all grade levels. • choose from more than 40 practical workshops designed to help you help your child succeed in

school • purchase educational materials from exhibitors • receive a free lunch, giveaways and more

Registration opens in February 2014 Stay up-to-date! For more information, look out for the conference brochure at your child's school in February. Conference and registration information will also be available in February in the "Parents" section of www.peelschools.org/parents/literacyconference/

GRADE 6

In February, 611 will be working in their inquiry circles. They read and discussed the novel “Ender’s Game” and came up with some big ideas about the book that connected to the world. They will pursue the theme that most interests them in their inquiry circle and create a presentation to the class.

The Make a Difference initiative has begun and the students are investigating local mental health organizations or charities. The purpose is to help raise awareness for their causes and understanding to our school. In Math, the students have been using Geometer’s Sketch pad to work on their measurement unit investigating the area of various shapes and line relationships. The technology is exciting for the students and they are enthusiastic about the tasks. Science sees the students working on the space unit. They have just completed the astronaut trading card task and we are now going to be looking at the different technologies that help us investigate space and how they affect our lives. Our next topic in social studies will have the students looking at Canadians and Canada’s contributions to the global community. The students will look at several different aspects and areas that this country has been involved in and continues to be actively supporting. We will attempt to look at the reasons and significance of these decisions.

French: Students in 611 are winding up a unit on adjectives of several types and preparing for a test this week. We are also describing friends for a small oral exercise . We have been learning the Trouc de genreas or how to tell if nouns are masculine or feminine without the article le/la or un/une. Next we will begin past tense which has been previewed but will now take center stage.

GRADE 7

FRENCH 701/702/704 After having wrapped up our unit on Space Travel and Video Games, we now turn our attention to a

unit entitled "Winter Destinations". Students will explore various winter destinations around the world. They will learn to discuss physical characteristics of these destinations, as well as the cultural aspects and winter activities of these places.

HISTORY

Students will be studying the arrival of the French in North America with the focus on how the different cultures

(1st Nations and French) interacted. The lifestyle of the French settlers will be examined along with their political

and social structure.

MATH

Measurement will be the new unit of study this month. This is a lengthy unit covering 2-D and 3-D

measurement. They will be developing formulas and strategies for solving the area of parallelograms, triangles,

trapezoids and compound shapes. Real life applications will be explored such as a contractor who needs to know

the perimeter and area of a room to order baseboards and flooring. The relationship between Volume and

Surface Area of 3-D Right Prisms will be the emphasis of this unit and takes time to develop and understand as

they explore different types of shapes.

SCIENCE

Students are continuing to explore the properties of solutions and mixtures as it relates to the Particle Theory.

This is an interactive and hands-on unit involving experiments such as separating mixtures and dissolving

solutes. The learning objectives in this unit connects well with the Heat unit which explores how heat and

temperature affects different states of matter in the world. They will learn to discuss physical characteristics of these destinations, as well as cultural aspects and winter activities. Students in 711 are winding up a unit on adjectives of several types and preparing for a test this week. We are also describing friends for a small oral exercise. We have been learning the Trouc de genreas or how to tell if nouns are masculine or feminine without the article le/la or un/une. Next we will begin past tense which has been previewed but will now take center stage. LANGUAGE ARTS

Grade 7 classes have had opportunities in all literacy skill areas to address the big idea question, “How does change affect the quality of lives?”. Students are consolidating their learning by reflecting on how change affects them as learners in a middle school environment. Making inferences and analyzing point of view in fiction and non-fiction texts are the reading skills focus this month. Some classes are continuing with their novel study unit while others are back to independent reading with a purpose. Writing is integrated across the different curricular areas, all of which emphasize using the steps in the writing process to reflect appropriate elements of form and style. That being said, students are applying their reading and writing skills in a new media format, “blogging”. Overall, this has been well received by students! Not only are they expected to post their own personal responses on Kidblog, but also to respond critically and thoughtfully to others (peers) in an effort to keep a meaningful dialogue going. At home, it would be beneficial to ask your child questions about what s/he is reading and learning to help foster this growth.

711 711 MATH711 MATH711 MATH711 MATH Students have just finished up their work in Patterning. This is one of the strands that will be reported on the Term 1 Report Card. Number Sense, Geometry and Data Management will also be reported this term. We have begun our Measurement unit, which “bridges terms 1 and 2. This will be reported on the term 2 report. FYI: There are 5 Math strands. In each term, 4 strands MUST be reported on the term report card. Also, each strand must be reported on at least once each year. Measurement will be reported in term 2. Three other strands will be reported in term 2, all of which have already been reported in term 1. This is not supposed to be a word problem, but it certainly seems like one! 711 711 711 711 SCIENCESCIENCESCIENCESCIENCE Grade 7’s are currently building models, which are to represent in as many ways as possible, the Particle Theory of Matter. (This is the theoretical basis for all science in the Pure Substances and Mixtures strand, and in the Heat strand.) Students will continue in the current unit to investigate, discover and apply different properties of different mixtures. 711 711 711 711 LANGUAGE ARTSLANGUAGE ARTSLANGUAGE ARTSLANGUAGE ARTS In January, students have been working everyday on their Independent Study Project. Class time for this project ends at the end of the month. Students may need to finish some things at home before their presentations in February. Students have already chosen their presentation dates.

We have also begun looking at poetry, and a variety of poetic formats and poetic devices. Students are writing their own poems, and will create their own original book of poetry, filled with works from each student in the class.

GRADE 8 French 711/801/802/803/811 After having wrapped up our unit on Food and Restaurants, we now turn our attention to a unit

entitled "Bizarre et fascinant!". This unit will allow students to study various animals and their unique characteristics. Students will also learn about the various relationships found in the animal kingdom. Grade 8 French: Students in 611/711, 804 & 805 are finishing up a unit on adjectives of several types and preparing for a test this week. We are also describing friends for a small oral exercise . We have been learning the Trouc de genreas or how to tell if nouns are masculine or feminine without the article le/la or un/une. Next we will begin past tense which has been previewed but will now take center stage. Our next story will concern a school trip to Québec City. Grade 8 Math First term is in the books, and we are progressing quickly into second term, with a continuation of Algebra. We will move from patterning and expressions, to solving equations and word problems. We are focusing on using the balance method to solve equations, so students are expected to show all of their steps. As always, students are expected to bring home all tests/quizzes/assignments to be signed, and study hall is available at lunch time upon request. Grade 8 Science Ships ahoy! We are finishing up our Fluids unit, focusing on buoyancy and density. Students will be calculating the density of the materials they use to build their boat, and will face off in a "drop test challenge" where a heavy bottle will be dropped onto their boat, and their boat must be able to withstand the impact!! After Fluids, we will move onto the world of Mechanics, where students will begin their studies with simple machines and the use of levers. As always, students are expected to bring home all tests/quizzes/assignments to be signed, and study hall is available at lunch time upon request. Grade 8 Physical and Health and Dance Education After spending the majority of the holidays on the couch playing video games and watching TV, our goal is to get the students actively participating in sports and games. We spent a week playing games, and completed our second round of fitness testing for the year. Not surprisingly, after a hiatus, a number of students noticed that their fitness scores decreased. Students are encouraged to work out, exercise, and play at home to bring up their scores. Our current unit focuses on European Handball, and then we will move into floor hockey. Students will be allowed to bring their own eye protection if they have it. (Otherwise, the school supplies it.) Grade 8 Social Studies The grade eight classes have concluded their study of Global Settlement and Sustainability. The unit concluded with a group task requiring students to create a "sustainable" city of the near future. This was a multi-step task, having students using the knowledge they attained about land use, and inquiry into various sustainable practices occurring today. Students had to produce a map, a "brochure" for their city, with individual writing pieces about sustainable practices. As well, students made a model of a specific type of building, or practice that had a sustainability component to it. We will wrap up Geography this month with an inquiry based study of Global Inequality and Quality of Life. The students will learn basic concepts around politics, economics, and population statistics. They will have the opportunity and the challenge of thinking critically, and conducting personal inquiry.

Grade 8 Drama Students in the various drama classes are all working onmonologues and tableaus. Grade 8 Language Arts In all of the different grade 8 classes, students are working on the 4 main strands of Language Arts including Reading, Writing, Oral Communication and Mediwith students during the History unit on Canadian Confederation and creating their own Media Work from the timeframe of the 1860's in the British North American colonies.

SKI DAY

Students in the various drama classes are all working on different activities including character sketches,

In all of the different grade 8 classes, students are working on the 4 main strands of Language Arts including Reading, Writing, Oral Communication and Media Literacy. We are looking forward to doing some debating with students during the History unit on Canadian Confederation and creating their own Media Work from the timeframe of the 1860's in the British North American colonies.

I DAY

different activities including character sketches,

In all of the different grade 8 classes, students are working on the 4 main strands of Language Arts including We are looking forward to doing some debating

with students during the History unit on Canadian Confederation and creating their own Media Work from the

Here we have several students working with Mr. Beresford (our Custodian)

and Mr. Lobovsky cutting wood and tidying up in our former shop.

Thanks for saving our environment and reading this newsletter on-line from our website or

from your email. If you still want a paper copy, by all means let us know and we will make sure you get one