w i th an assemb l y . O u r H u sk i es 0 4 H MEschools.peelschools.org/1511/Lists/SchoolNewsLetters/December 2018... · c ou l d f a l l d ow n on th e i c e a n d g et h u r t.

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H MESTEAD PS?

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT

Homestead Public School 99 Fletchers Creek Blvd. Brampton, ON L6X 4T7 (905) 874-4142 homestead.peelschools.org

@Homestead_PS

Theresa Longlade Principal Angelo Cariati Daniel Elias Vice-Principals Christine Lucchesi Office Manager Kevin Beson Head Custodian Mashela Samadi Settlement Counsellor David Green Trustee, Ward 1 Jeff deFreitas Superintendent

Building together for student success.

Important Dates

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Winter Concert Wed. Dec. 13

7:00 PM

Books & Bites Tue. Dec. 18

2:00 PM

"Beautiful" HolidaySweater Day Wed. Dec. 19

Red/Green Day

Thu. Dec. 20

Pajama Day Fri. Dec. 21

ChristmasAssembly

Fri. Dec. 21 8:30 AM

Last day of school

for 2018! Fri. Dec. 21

What did we get up to in November?

Positive ParentingWorkshop

Wed. Dec. 5 1:30 PM

Top Dog Assembly

Thu. Dec. 6 8:30 AM

Kindergarten

'Sneak-a-Peek' Thu. Dec. 6

9:30 - 10:30 AM 1:00 - 2:00 PM

School Council

Thu. Dec. 6 6:30 PM

Cram-the-Cruiser

Food Drive Mon. Dec. 10 - Mon. Dec. 17

FREE Fire Safety

Workshop Wed. Dec. 13

1:30 PM

CHAMPIONS!

A beautiful Diwali Assembly!

Grade 1 Math Around the Halls.

#ChooseAction pledges!

It was an eventful November at Homestead where ourHuskies celebrated, commemorated and collaborated.We started November with the first Math Around theHalls for this school year. This was a chance for ourHuskies to join in a school-wide math prompt. We hada chance to develop our mathematical thinking skills!We also had an opportunity to commemorateRemembrance Day with an assembly. Our Huskiesstood UP and stood OUT for Anti-Bullying duringvarious #ChooseAction activities. Come and see theAMAZING class pledges in our foyer. Great job,Huskies! We were very happy to see families join usfor 'Reporting to Parents' where educators had achance to discuss the wonderful things our Huskieshave been up to this school year. We were also happyto see some families come out for our PositiveParenting Workshop series. This continues intoDecember. We hope to see you there!

HOMESTEAD P.S.

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The latest updates...


Winter Bus Safety

The following winter school bus safety tips will helpto keep your child safe throughout the wintermonths. • Allow extra time to get to your bus stop. • Wear bright clothing so the bus can see you in theearly morning and late evening. • Stand away from where the bus stops. Buses needextra room to stop when there is snow and ice. • Use the handrail when boarding or exiting the busto prevent slipping on wet or icy steps or roadsurfaces. • Dress appropriately—winter clothing, hats, andboots will keep you warm. • Don't throw snowballs at the bus or other childrenwaiting for the bus. • Don't slide on the snow or ice patches in drivewaysor on the street. • Don't push or shove around the bus. Someonecould fall down on the ice and get hurt. Talk to your child about what to do if the bus is late.Here are some suggestions: • When possible, wait with your child for the bus. • Make sure your child knows a phone numberwhere he can reach you or another trusted adult. • Teach your child how and where to get help. Talkto your child about what a "safe" stranger is. • Help your child set up a bus stop buddy system soyour child has someone to wait with for the bus.

Bus cancellations andclosing schools due tobad weather

During the winter months, we may need tocancel buses or close schools because ofinclement weather. Information regarding details of cancellationsor closures will be announced on radio,television stations and will also be available onTwitter @Peelschools, Facebook atwww.facebook.com/peelschools,www.peelschools.org and www.stopr.ca or bycalling 905-890-1010 or 1-800-668-1146. One of the following messages will beannounced: Peel District School Board buses are cancelled This means that schools remain open forstudents and staff, but buses are cancelled. Buscancellations could occur in all or parts ofmunicipalities. Buses will remain cancelled allday. All activities that require busing will also becancelled. Permits, night school classes, childcare and other activities in schools will operateas usual. All Peel District School Board schools and boardoffices are closed This means that all schools and Peel boardoffices are closed to students and staff. Allactivities in schools and board offices are alsocancelled, including child care, night school andpermits. All evening programs and permits at the PeelDistrict School Board are cancelled This means that all activities in schools and Peelboard offices are cancelled, includingcontinuing education courses and events. Thebuildings will be closed. All weekend programs and permits at the PeelDistrict School Board are cancelled This means that all activities in schools and Peelboard offices are cancelled, includingcontinuing education courses and events. Thebuildings will be closed.

School Success update

Our educators have successfully launched theirprofessional collaborative inquiries! What does thismean? Every year, our staff have an opportunity tocollaborate with their colleagues and learn about atopic of interest that support's EngageMath,Empowering Modern Learners and Equity, or E3. Theidea is that educators are engaged in ongoingprofessional learning which supports their growth,but also student success. We're looking forward tosee how their professional learning positivelyimpacts students. Some topics include: • Student self-advocacy (e.g. how can we empowerstudents to advocate for themselves through self-assessment?); • Google Suite (e.g. how to empower student learningthrough use of technology and applications); and • STEM in the Classroom (Science, Technology,Engineering and Mathematics) in the classroom.

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The latest updates...


From the LibraryLearning Commons

What a busy fall we had in the Homestead LLC! Our Scholastic Book Fair sold over $6000.00 andwe were able to purchase $2300.00 worth ofbooks from the fair. Thank you! Peel Board hosteda book buying event where we purchased many newdual language books for students to read with theirmultilingual families. We have done some Dash robot 2D shape codingwith 3C and spent the last three weeks doing aHuman Body inquiry with all five, Grade 5 classes.Students had technology based and hands-on-material based learning for the unit. Check out ourTwitter account to see the rich learning@HomesteadLLC. This month we are working on the following: - Simple Machines unit with 2A and 2B - Structures and Community Roles andResponsibilities unit with 1A - Early Settler’s and First Nations Metis and Inuit unitwith the Grade 3’s Thank you to our School Council for purchasing thisyear’s Forest of Reading books for Homestead. K-2students will be reading the Blue Spruce picturebook category with their educators and Grades 3-5will be reading the Silver Birch Fiction, Non Fictionand Express categories. The LLC will be holdingspecial reading activities and will have passports totrack their reading for ballots to Peel Board’s ofReading Celebration in May. Stay tuned for ourForest of Reading Launch January 16th – our staff isbusy reading the books now to present at theassembly. Back by popular demand is Books & Bites! On Tuesday, December 18th at 2:00 PM you/family members are invited to come to the LLC to read with your child and have a holiday bite. Sign up is on our website. Our annual Cram-the-Cruiser Food Drive will runDecember 10-17th when police cruisers will arriveto have the class with the most donations ‘cram’ thecruisers with the donations. The cruisers then driveall the food over to Ste. Louise Outreach Center fordistribution. It is one of our favourite activities of theyear when our community comes together tosupport those in need. Please help us this year tocontinue this generous tradition so no families arehungry over the winter. If you have a large donationyou would like to make, please contact me at (905)874-4142 x280.

EcoSchools Update

What a busy month it has been! The Husky Helpers would like to thank theHomestead community for their generousclothing donations. Together we collected over400 kg of textiles that can be reused by otherpeople or be recycled into other products. Thankyou for helping us keep 400 kg of clothing itemsout of the landfill! Our Husky Helpers have been very busypromoting recycling in the school. Waste andrecycling audits began last month and willcontinue throughout the year. Waste FreeWednesdays will begin on Wednesday,December 5. All students are encouraged tobring a reusable lunch bag, water bottle andcontainers to school. When we use reusablecontainers we are reducing the amount of wastethat goes into our landfills. Husky Helpers will beperforming spot checks soon… be ready! The cold weather has arrived! Unfortunately thismeans many people are leaving their cars idling inthe parking lot. The Husky Helpers are askingeveryone to avoid unnecessary idling. Vehicleexhaust is made up of harmful GreenhouseGases, Carbon Monoxide, and Sulphur Dioxide toname a few. We encourage all students to walk toschool, take the bus or carpool to reduce theamount of emissions in our environment.Homestead continues to raise awareness aboutair pollution with Walk to School Wednesday.Walk to School Wednesday occurs on the thirdWednesday of every month. Can’t wait to seeyou walking to school on Wednesday December19th! As the holiday season approaches the HuskyHelpers are encouraging everyone to celebrate aGREEN holiday season. Students will be creatingannouncements about how to be environmentallyfriendly throughout the holidays. One way to beGREEN is to recycle old holiday cards by turningthem into gift tags. The Husky Helpers are busyrecycling holiday cards and beginning onDecember 10th, gift tags will be on sale in theatrium. The price of the gift tags are 10 for $2. Allmoney will go to support our Student Garden forLearning and Reflection. Stay tuned for moreinformation on the announcements or follow uson Twitter @HomesteadEcoSch.

HOMESTEAD P.S.

Proof of immunization – proof that your child hasbeen immunized/vaccinated Peel board elementary schools will also holdKindergarten Registration Week from Jan. 14to 18, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and in theevening on Jan. 17 from 5 to 8 p.m. Families willhave the opportunity to meet school staff,register their child and learn more about theStart with a Smile kindergarten program. You can register your child for kindergarten atany time—complete the registration forms one atwww.peelschools.org/kindergarten and visit theschool your child will be attending next schoolyear during regular school hours to completeyour registration. For more information, visitwww.peelschools.org/kindergarten All parents/guardians of elementary studentsneed to report their children's absences or latearrivals from school via our automated SchoolMessenger SafeArrival system. Use one of the following methods to set-up yournew SafeArrival account. Please ensure thenumber and email address that you are using toreport your child’s absences are those that wehave on file at the school. SchoolMessenger app (free) 1. Download the SchoolMessenger app 2. Tap Sign Up to create your account Web and Mobile Web: go.schoolmessenger.ca 1. Go to the above website 2. Click Sign Up to create your account Interactive Toll-free Phone 1. Call the toll-free number: 1-855-209-6155 2. Listen to and follow the instructions to reportan absence If your child’s absence is not reported in advance,the automated notification system will contactyou and will provide an opportunity to verify theabsence.

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Coming up at Homestead...

We inspire success, confidence and hope ineach student…and it all starts in kindergarten!If your child was born in 2015, they can startkindergarten in September 2019. The months leading up to the first day ofkindergarten can be an exciting time forfamilies—however, we also know thatbeginning kindergarten can sometimes be ananxious time for some families. That’s whyHomestead is inviting next year’s kindergartenstudents and their families to visit Homesteadschool on Dec. 6 between 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.and 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. so they can learn moreabout the program. The day will feature guidedtours of some of our kindergarten classrooms,so families can see the kindergarten programin action. An educator will lead a tour, and all guests willbe asked to sign in at the office, as per ourusual process when we have visitors. Our staffwill work to ensure there is minimal disruptionin the classroom and regular kindergartenroutines continue. The kindergarten registration form can becompleted online before new families attend.The following documents must accompany theregistration form: Proof of child's age (one of the following) • Canadian birth certificate • Canadian passport • citizenship card/certificate • Permanent Resident Card • confirmation of permanent residence • work permit • refugee permit Proof of address (one of the following) • Ontario driver's license • utility bill • bank statement/client slip (directly fromfinancial institution) • credit card statement • federal government forms (e.g. SocialInsurance Number, Service Canada documents)• purchase agreement

Time for School!

Start With a Smile on Dec. 6!


HOMESTEAD P.S.

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Coming up at Homestead...

w i th an assemb l y . O u r H u sk i es 0 4 H MEschools.peelschools.org/1511/Lists/SchoolNewsLetters/December 2018... · c ou l d f a l l d ow n on th e i c e a n d g et h u r t.

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