November 2012 Newsletter - schools.peelschools.orgschools.peelschools.org/1154/Lists/SchoolNewsLetters/…  · Web viewSome teachers have sent this information home in the form of

HUNTINGTON RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLOctober 31, 2012

345 Huntington Ridge Drive, Mississauga, ON L5R 1R6Phone: 905-890-2170 Fax: 905-890-6530

Attendance Line: 905-890-2179School Web Site: http://huntingtonridge.peelschools.org

School Council e-mail address: [email protected] District School Board Web Site: www.peelschools.org

Ministry of Education Web Site: http://www.edu.gov.on.caTrustee: Sue Lawton, Wards 3 & 4 905-625-8084 [email protected]

Superintendent: Ina Fournier South Field Office: 905-366-8800Principal: Sharon Totafurno Vice Principal: Joanne César

We are happy to welcome three new teachers to Huntington Ridge Public School. They are Ms. Butt, Ms. Tran and Mrs. Trajkovska. As a result of September reorganization we added 3 more classes and thus reduced the number of students in our Primary classes. It is beneficial to students to maintain balanced class sizes. We appreciate the support of parents and the efforts of staff members to make this positive change a smooth transition for our students. In addition, we welcome Mr. Siriunas, Teaching Assistant, to our staff. They each bring knowledge and expertise that enrich the students, their colleagues and our school. We are glad that they have joined the Huntington Ridge TEAM.

The Parent & Student Handbook contains a wealth of helpful information about our school. To update your handbook, we are providing a revised school staff list which includes the names of our new staff members. You will find this information on the next page. Most staff members have a voice mail extension so parents can leave a message directly for the teacher. We have added this information to the revised staff list to assist parents.

Every Fall teachers provide parents with information about the curriculum expectations, homework and other information about classroom routines. Some teachers have sent this information home in the form of a newsletter or handout for parents. Other teachers, who have created a My Class site, have posted this information online for parents to access. If you have difficulty accessing the My Class site for your child’s class, please notify the teacher. If you have any questions about the classroom program please feel free to contact your child’s teacher. We know that when parents and teachers partner together this collaboration supports the success of every student by helping each individual child achieve to the best of his or her ability.

By now all parents of students in Grades 1 – 5 have received an invitation to the Parent-Teacher interview. Please return the response form to your child’s teacher so a meeting date and time can be set. Confirmation of your appointment time with the teacher will be sent home to the parents of students in Grades 1 – 5 with the Progress Report on Wednesday, November 7. Kindergarten teachers are also arranging times to meet with parents and have sent home a letter. If you have misplaced your letter and require another one, please contact your child’s teacher. We look forward to meeting parents at the upcoming Parent-Teacher interviews in November.

Congratulations to our students who raised $861.01 for cancer research through our participation in the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope on September 27. This year, to boost the excitement and participation in our efforts to raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation, we held a lucky draw for 2 Terry Fox t-shirts. Joshua in class 5B and Medha in class 3/4 were the lucky winners. Together we can make a difference in our world!

The excitement of learning continues at Huntington Ridge Public School. Please read on.

Huntington Ridge School StaffMs. S. Aggarwal Class K1 a.m. & K2 p.m. Extension 122Mrs. M. Phillips Class K3 a.m. & K4 p.m. Extension 124Ms. M. Richards Class K5 a.m. & K6 p.m. Extension 125Mrs. V. Trajkovska Class K7 a.m. & K8 p.m. Extension 123Mrs. N. Thrower Class K9 a.m. Extension 104Mrs. J. Halliwell Class 1A Extension 119Mrs. E. Holmes Class 1B Extension 106Mrs. S. Wells Class 1C Extension 107Mrs. E. Kourepinis Class 1D Extension 114Ms. K Arreaga-Moran Class 2A Extension 112Mrs. M. Carvalho Class 2B Extension 108Mrs. A. Wong-Moreira Class 2C Extension 118Ms. T. Butt Class 2/3 Extension 115Ms. T. Charalambous Class 3A Extension 202Mrs. A. Doyle Class 3B Extension 200Mr. L. Luk Class 3C Extension 205Mrs. C. Wasilewski Class 3D Extension 204Mrs. I. Fisher Class 3/4 Extension 110Ms. D. Browne Class 4A Extension 111Ms. M. Gandham Class 4B Extension 116Ms. T. Natale Class 4C Extension 117Mrs. J. Tidy-Russell Class 4D Extension 201Mr. G. Evans Class 5A Extension 502Mr. D. Nolan Class 5B Extension 503Mrs. C. Powell Class 5C Extension 501Mr. P. Brophey PTP Class Extension 103Ms. B. Fleming Classroom Support Extension 109Ms. E. Kernaghan Classroom Support Extension 203Mr. T. Ormerod Classroom Support Extension 113Ms. L. Thompson Classroom Support Extension 105Mrs. E. Jones French Extension 206Mrs. A. Mandic French Extension 127Mrs. B. Douglas Music Extension 120Ms. D. Hammond Teacher – Librarian Extension 130Ms. J. Kraus Planning Time ------------------Mrs. J. Li Planning Time ------------------Ms. J. Tran Planning Time ------------------Mrs. M. Goddard Teaching Assistant ------------------Mrs. A. Grigg Teaching Assistant ------------------Mrs. C. Gurman Teaching Assistant ------------------Mrs. D. Kelly Teaching Assistant ------------------Ms. L. Radway Teaching Assistant ------------------Mr. M. Siriunas Teaching Assistant ------------------Mr. C. Smith Teaching Assistant ------------------Mrs. D. Walsh Teaching Assistant ------------------

For staff members that do not have a phone extension listed, you may call the main office at Extension 0 to leave a message.

Creative Arts PerformanceOn Wednesday, October 10 Huntington Ridge hosted our first Creative Arts Performance for the 2012-2013 school year. We were pleased to welcome Cadence, a vocal quartet, performing their show called “Four Men, Four Mics, No Instruments”. Cadence amazed the audience with their ability to create a full range of instrumental and vocal sounds using only their voices! This a cappella quartet illustrated that the voice is the most versatile of all instruments. Students and staff enjoyed the tight harmonies, instrumental imitation and high energy of this performance.

Here are some student responses to the performance:

When I watched the performance by Cadence, I was shocked because I didn't know you could make instrument sounds with your voices. I liked the part when they sang the Shrek song. There was great harmony. I also liked when they taught us how to sound like the bass drum. I think it was the best part for the grade 5's!

Cadence is a group of four singers. They did not use any instruments in their performance! My favourite part of the performance was when they all sang the songs in harmony and sometimes when they sang alone. Their music sounded like electric guitars, trumpets, trombones, drums and cymbals.

Yesterday, we watched an a cappella group called Cadence perform in our school. Their names were Lucas, Carl, Kurt and Ross. They sang songs to us without using any instruments. They made instrument noises themselves. Lucas could imitate a trumpet. Carl could make drum noises. Kurt could do guitar noises. Ross could make harmonica noises. They all harmonized and sang. They made it look easy!      My favourite song was when they sang the Shrek song. They made it sound like the real thing! It was my favourite song because it had a good beat and because it was very catchy. They also sang an original song called "Straighten Up and Fly Right". That also had a very catchy tune.      Kurt could also make very cool deep voices. Lucas could also make good high voices. Carl and Ross could make very good instrument imitations.     They all also sang Gregorian Chant, which was produced before Beethoven, but turned the song into "Smoke on the Water". That was a really cool classical song. All of their songs had a good beat.     My favourite member was Kurt, because his low voices were really cool.     They all took turns to go up to the teachers to give them a chance to sing if they wanted to. Most teachers didn't want to, but at the end they chose Ms. Browne to go up to the stage and sing with them.     They sang jazz, classical and rock ‘n roll music. They also sang other songs like "Brown Eyed Girl". I had a lot of fun that day because it was a very entertaining performance!

By Ishaq, Grade 5

By Sahana, Grade 2By

By Waris, Grade 4

The Chocolate Challenge Campaign at Huntington Ridge P.S.

Thank you to all parents, and students who have contributed to our Chocolate Challenge Fundraising Campaign! Many of our students have sold chocolates to family and friends in order for our school to acquire additional funds for numeracy materials and initiatives that will enhance our regular resources. Monies raised may also be used to augment the current selection of resources in our book room.

Your support helps make our school an excellent learning environment for all students! Please remember that we plan to award the Grand Prizes to the three top selling students on November 2nd. At the end of our Fundraising Campaign, the top selling Kindergarten class will be given a popcorn party and the two top selling classes in Grades 1 – Grade 5 will have a pizza party. Our fundraising campaign ended on October 26th. Parents, please remember to return all money and unsold chocolates to the office as soon as possible.

The following students (listed below), won Early Bird prizes throughout our fundraising campaign. Some of the Early Bird prizes included soccer balls, a sports bag, stickers, markers, sunglasses, and hats. Congratulations to our Early Bird Draw winners.

Early Bird Draw Winners!K6Tristen

K9Janelle

1AJaidenIvan

1BMikaelEthan

2AKiaraArienne

2BAmalEdward

2CMahek

2/3AryaDaleen

3AAbbie

3BJonathanIsaak

3CKaneeraXin YiThanuurathanGassanKaden

3DAdamDevinJessicaIsbahJacob

3 / 4Khushman

4BYadulahFareeha

4CLyndsay

5AAksayaAmarMayarAbbyOwen

5BNuwaanSumeyyeMarcusGurleenSumeetAashnaZhao Xin

5C Reena KelseySalinaFaye4A

TaevonShamar

Attendance

School starts at 9:00 AM. If you drive your child to school, please make sure that they arrive by 8:50 AM. This will allow them time to walk around to the back of the school and be ready to enter through the appropriate door when the entry bell rings. Teachers are on duty beginning at 8:45 AM. The entry bell rings at 8:55 AM. At 9:00 AM, teachers are no longer on duty, as they are expected to be in their classrooms.

After 9:00 AM, students must enter through the front doors to obtain a late slip from the office.

Thank you for setting up routines at home and encouraging your child to arrive to school on time.

Nutritious lunch helps your child learn

Good nutrition comes from eating a balanced diet chosen from each of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating: grain products, vegetables and fruits, milk products, and meat and alternatives. Children need to eat a variety of foods everyday to be healthy. With a little creativity and planning you can make lunch fun for your child, while still meeting his nutritional needs.

Here are a few tips to get you started: Try to give your child some choice about what she takes for lunch, and if possible, get her

involved in preparing her own lunch. Plan ahead. Think through the lunches you will be preparing for the next week. Make a

shopping list to get all the items you'll need. Give your child as much variety as possible. Keeping your child interested in lunch is the first

step to making sure it is eaten. Make the food easy to eat. If it will take your child a few minutes to unwrap his sandwich, he

may skip it. Resist the temptation to routinely send sweets, pop, chips and cookies in your child's lunch.

Save treats for special occasions. Try to avoid sending pre-packaged, convenience lunches, which are often high in salt and

fat.

By focusing on foods from the four food groups and limiting less nutritious foods, you can help your child get the nutrients and energy she needs to have a successful school day.

Prevent the flu. It’s in your hands.

Hand washing is the most important way to prevent the spread of infection. Always wash your hands with soap and water when they are dirty.

Clean your hands before: touching your eyes, nose or mouth touching/preparing food or drinks eating or drinking caring for someone in your home who can easily get sick

(baby, elderly or someone who has an unhealthy immune system) first aid

Clean your hands after: touching pets or other animals touching raw meat, particularly chicken touching surfaces such as a railing or grocery cart touching money touching objects sick people have touched touching blood or body fluids such as urine, vomit or feces contact with those who have a cold, the flu, diarrhea or virus of any kind changing diapers wiping your own or a child’s nose sneezing or coughing using a facial tissue using the washroom removing gloves cleaning gardening

What to do when you cough or sneeze: cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve put used tissues in the wastebasket clean your hands with soap and water or a hand sanitizer

For more information call Peel Health at 905-799-7700 or visit www.peelregion.ca/flu.

Basic fire prevention tips from Canada Safety Council

Fire is the third leading cause of accidental death in Canada. Approximately 85% of fire deaths occur in the home, and most deaths are due to smoke inhalation. Smoke alarms will warn you of a fire in time to let you escape.

Here are some basic fire prevention tips from Canada Safety Council: install a certified smoke alarm on each level of your home have and practice a fire escape plan with your family know your fire department's phone number have and know how to use your fire extinguisher keep matches and lighters out of children's reach don't overload electrical outlets always barbecue outside never leave grease cooking unattended clean grease from burner pans and stove top regularly install a smoke alarm outside each sleeping area install smoke alarms on each level of your home purchase smoke alarms that have the label of the underwriter's Laboratories of

Canada test your smoke alarm at least twice a year test the battery once a month (by pushing the button on the unit) never remove the battery for any reason and replace the battery once a year replace smoke alarms every five years

For more information on fire safety, visit the Canada Safety Council website at www.safety-council.org.

Traffic Safety _

We would like to thank all parents who took the time to attend our School Council Meeting on October 18th at 7:00 PM. We had a great turnout and would like to continue to welcome all of our parents to attend meetings and be actively involved in your child’s learning.

At our October meeting, once again traffic safety was raised as a concern. Traffic on Huntington Ridge Drive, at the front of the school, and Winfield Terrace, at the back of the school, is very congested in the morning and at the end of the school day. Congestion in school zones is a concern in many schools as children are dropped off and picked up in the morning and afternoon.

In addition, parents in attendance at the School Council meeting reported that some drivers are not adhering to the rules of the road and are parking, stopping or turning in a manner that is unsafe.

At our School Council meeting many valid points were shared, but unfortunately, there isn’t a “quick fix” to this situation. There can never be sufficient parking for the number of cars that drop off or pick up students in the very short span of time just prior to morning entry or at the end of the day dismissal.

Our priority must be the safety of all Huntington Ridge students.

We are a large school with 617 students currently registered. We have limited bussing as most of our students live within walking distance of the school. So we have actively taken steps to encourage more students to walk to school by partnering with the Mississauga Traffic Safety Council to put into place the Walking Routes to School program. We offer incentives to students who walk to school. Signage has been posted in the neighbourhood. More crossing guards have been assigned. Information has been shared with parents. Reviving an old trend of walking to school has a positive impact on our health, safety, environment and community.

While walking remains the best option for students to get to school, some parents will, for a variety of reasons, choose to drive their children in their vehicle. In such cases, the safest way to drop off children in the morning is to use the Kiss & Ride program on school property.

At the end of the school day we remind all drivers to follow the rules of the road and obey the posted parking signs. There will not be enough parking spaces on the street directly in front of the school or on the street behind the school for all the cars, so you may need to park a few blocks away. Please arrive a few minutes early, park and walk to school to pick up your child - as it is the safest solution for our students and the school community.

We would like to thank our community for continuing to work with us in making Huntington Ridge Public School a Walking School. We encourage parent and caregivers to dress for the weather and walk to school.

Dressing for November and December Parents, please have your child come to school dressed for the weather. The weather is getting colder so please dress your child in layers. All students in Grade 1 - 5 should wear a warm jacket or a winter coat to school, as they are playing outside during morning, lunch and afternoon recesses.

Thank you for your co-operation in ensuring that your child comes to school dressed appropriately for the cooler Fall temperatures.

Celebrating Faith and Culture November 2012

We extend our best wishes to students, their families and staff observing these special days in November.

DATE CELEBRATION FAITH & CULTURE

November Gwilatkw Aboriginal SpiritualityNovember 1 All Saints' Day ChristianityNovember 1 Samhain WiccaNovember 2 Karva Chauth HinduismNovember 4 -22 The month of Qudrat Bahá'íNovember 11 Remembrance Day CanadaNovember 12 Birth of Baha’u’lláh Báhá'íNovember 12 or 13 Diwali HinduismNovember 13 Diwali/Lord Mahavir Nirvan JainismNovember 13 Bandi Chhor Divas SikhismNovember 13 or 14 New Year’s Day/Day of

EnlightenmentHinduism and Jainism

November 15 New Year (Hijra) and Muharram IslamNovember 16 Louis Riel Day Aboriginal SpiritualityNovember 18 Gnan Panchami JainismNovember 23 - December 11 The month of Qawl Bahá'íNovember 24 Ashura IslamNovember 24 Martyrdom of Guru Teg

BahadurSikhism

November 26 Day of Covenant Bahá'íNovember 15 and 28(J) First of Advent (Christmas fast) ChristianityNovember 28 Dev Diwali JainismNovember 28 Birth of Guru Nanak SikhismNovember 28 Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Bahá'í

HUNTINGTON RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL 905-890-2170Reminder: School Hours are 8:55 - 3:30Please Be On Time

November 2012 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

The HEROES theme for November isRESPONSBILITY

1 Day 10 2 Day 1 3

4 2:00 AM Daylight Saving Time Ends Turn clocks back one hour

5 Day 2 6 Day 3 7 Day 4Pizza Day Progress Reports Grades 1 – 5 go home today

8 Day 5 9 Day 6 10:30 AMRemembrance Day Assembly

10

11Remembrance Day

12 Day 7 13 Day 8 14 Day 9Pizza Day

15 Day 10Photo Retake Day10:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Reporting to Parents 4:00 – 9:00 PM

16 Reporting to ParentsNo school for students

17

18 19 Day 1 20 Day 2

Grade Two ClassesMad Science Workshop

21 Day 3Pizza Day

Grade Two ClassesMad Science Workshop

22 Day 4

7:00 PMSchool Council

23 Day 5 24

25

26 Day 6 27 Day 7 28 Day 8Pizza Day

Newsletter goeshome

29 Day 9 30 Day 10

Pizza Orders for December due today