November 9th, 2018

Doncrest eBulletin

IS UP AND RUNNING AT DONCREST!

We are sending out invitations to join our Doncrest Edsby community every Tuesday. If you did not receive one, please make sure you check your junk mail and ensure that the school has your current email address. Doncrest will be using Edsby to schedule parent-teacher interviews this year and we will be posting all of our school and classroom news on Edsby in the near future.

EDSBY FOR INTERVIEWS: This year we will be use EDSBY to book appointments for Parent-Teacher

Interviews to discuss student Progress Reports. At this time we are asking all parents who do not have an EDSBY account to sign up for one in order to book an appointment. Parents can start booking conferences with their child’s teacher(s) beginning the week of November 12th, 2018 until midnight on Wednesday, November 21, 2018.

OCTOBER GATHERING

O n M o n d a y , O c t o b e r 2 9 t h , w e c e l e b r a t e d o u r f i r s t G a t h e r i n g ( Su c c e s s A s s e mb l y ) f o r b o th o u r p r i ma r y a n d j u n i o r / i n t e r me d i a t e d i v i s i o n s . T h e G a t h e r i n g w a s p l a n n e d a n d o r c h e s t r a t e d e n t i r e l y b y s t u d e n t s i n M s . P a t t e r s o n ’ s c l a s s a n d f e a t u r e d r e a d i n g s a b o u t “ M y H e r o ” a n d a mo v i e t h a t w a s m a d e b y t h e c l a s s a b o u t h o w w e c a n ma k e a d i f f e r e n c e . W e a l s o c e l e b r a t e d 2 5 y e a r s o f s u p p o r t i n g T h e T e r r y F o x F o u n d a t i o n . W e a r e s o p r o u d o f o u r s t u d e n t s f o r s p e a k i n g o p e n l y a n d f r o m t h e h e a r t a b o u t t h e p o w e r o f ma k i n g a c ha n g e o r d i f f e r e n c e i n t h e l i v e s o f o t h e r s .

CONTACT INFORMATION 124 Blackmore Ave. Richmond Hill L4B 2B1 Phone: 905-882-4480 Fax: 905-882-4558 Email: doncrest.ps@yrdsb.ca Office Hours: 8:30am - 3:30pm

PRINCIPAL Ruth Carmichael VICE-PRINCIPAL Lindsey Maclean SUPERINTENDENT Michael Cohen TRUSTEE Carol Chan

Click here

for our

calendar

http://doncrest.ps.yrdsb.ca

REMEMBRANCE DAY ASSEMBLIES Today we had the honour of participating in two moving Remembrance Day assemblies. Our grades 1-4 assembly recognized the importance our Canadian Forces and veterans played in promoting peace throughout our world. Their readings, poems and songs provided an important message for us to reflect on. Our grades 5-8 assembly reminded us all of how the sacrifice of others allows us to live in freedom. We were so fortunate to have Staff Sergeant Bert Card speak to us about his experiences in World War II. His message was powerful; the sacrifices made by himself, his family members, and his friends in arms were worth it because of the children sitting in front of him at Doncrest. Our students were honoured to have the opportunity to thank Staff Sgt. Card for his service to our country.

HALLOWEEN

On October 31st, we had lots of fun celebrating Halloween at Doncrest. Primary parades, an intermediate dance and pumpkin math are just some of the festivities enjoyed by our students.

EDUCATION REFORM TOWN HALL The provincial government has invited all interested parties to provide feedback on education reform. The first phase of consultation asks community members to share input through a submission form and via email to: fortheparents@ontario.ca. The next phase of consultation will take place through scheduled Telephone Town Hall sessions. Students, parents, staff and community partners are encouraged to join in. Parents, please share this opportunity with your children as you see fit. Greater Toronto Area North (York) Ontario Telephone Town Hall Session: November 13th, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. To participate, visit the Telephone Town Hall section of the consultation website. If you have pre-registered by 4 p.m. the day before the session (November 12), you will receive a phone call at the time of the session. If you are unable to pre-register, you will still be able to participate by dialing the toll-free number, for our area: 1-800-303-1528. For more information, please visit www.fortheparents.ca. UPDATE REGARDING PIZZA, SUBS AND MILK: We are no longer accepting orders for Pizza lunch, Sub lunch or the milk program for this term. Second session will begin in February and you will be able to purchase it at School Cash online in January. If you wish your child to have pizza, there are limited individual pieces sold every Tuesday.

HOMEWORK CLUB A reminder of the new homework club at Doncrest. Homework club takes place on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7:30-8:20 in room 129 with Ms. Krumholz. Homework club is a space where students from any grade can come to receive homework support or a quiet space to complete any

unfinished work. This is a fantastic opportunity so please encourage your child to take advantage of this.

DAILY ROUTINES

School starts promptly at 8:35 a.m. If your child arrives late to school, they are missing out on important learning.

Please do not drop your child off at school before 8:20 a.m. There is no supervision before 8:20.

Please ensure your child knows how he or she is getting home after school before the school day begins. When plans change at the end of the day it is very difficult for office staff to ensure that the message gets to your child. Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to ensure that every child gets home safely.

MEDICAL INFORMATION If your child requires Medication, has an Epi Pen or has other Health concerns please inform the office as soon as possible. There are additional forms that need to be filled out and are available in the office. If your child requires an Epi Pen, it needs to be worn on their person (i.e., in a pouch) and an extra one must be provided to the office.

SCHOOL DROP OFF REMINDERS Supervision at Doncrest begins at 8:20 a.m.

The bus loop at the front of the school is for busses only. Cars are not permitted to enter the loop before or after school. This is also a fire route.

There should be no parking on Blackmore in front of the school at drop off times.

DO NOT turn around in private driveways or make U-turns on Blackmore Ave.

DO NOT pull out from the curb without indicating as well as checking your blind spot

The parking authority has been very active in distributing tickets to people who park in front of Doncrest.

Thank you for your continued efforts to keep Doncrest safe.

SCHOOL CASH ONLINE

All YRDSB schools are now using School Cash Online as an online payment system. School Cash Online is an easy, safe and convenient way for families to pay online for extracurricular items or events, including special lunch days and field trips. It helps to reduce paper and the amount of cash/cheques handled by parents and students. You can register for School Cash Online at any time. There is also a button on our school website. You will need your child’s student number which can be found on any YRDSB report card. This can also be found on the Student Verification Form and/or written in your child’s agenda. Once you are registered, you will be notified of any new items available for your child.

LATE BUSES

At times, school buses can be running late either before or after school. Please check

schoolbuscity.com for daily updates.

Absent or Late?

We will be continuing to use the Safe Arrival System this school year. Please ensure you call

the school to report a late arrival or an absence.

Spoons and Forks

Parents, please remember to pack

a spoon and/or fork in your child’s

lunch as we do not provide

cutlery.

Thank yu!

Pick-up Routine

If you are picking up your child(ren), please

arrange to meet him/her/them at their

dismissal door. Please avoid picking your

child up early as every minute of learning

counts.

If you plan to pick up your child early from

school you must call and arrive at the school

before 2:40 p.m. Requests after this time

will not be honoured as they disrupt our

dismissal procedure.

School Hours Supervision begins Entry Recess Lunch Dismissal

8:20 a.m. 8:35 a.m 10:15-10:45 a.m. 12:25-1:25 p.m. 3:05 p.m.

Upcoming…. Please visit our calendar page to view all upcoming events. Thank you!

A Reminder... You can participate in our Birthday Books Program!!!

In past years, parents/guardians at Doncrest Public School have participated in the “Birthday Book Program”. Parents often like to send in something special to celebrate their child’s birthday. YOU CAN DONATE A BOOK! This year we are asking for help in building our non-fiction collection in our Library Learning Commons. Thanks again to those who participated last year! How does it work? Simple! When it is your child’s birthday please send me, Mrs. Bartlett (teacher-librarian), an email. You can contact me at kristina.bartlett@yrdsb.ca and I will send you a list of titles to choose from. A book wishlist was submitted to me by teachers to assist in their teaching. Next, send in a cheque along with the title of the book and I will be sure to purchase it! I will place a label inside the front cover with your child’s name stating he/she donated the book. It’s that easy!

FLU SEASON IS HERE Get the flu shot as early as possible

The first and best step to preventing the flu (or influenza), is to get the flu shot every year. The flu spreads quickly and easily from an infected person to others and anyone can get it. Getting the flu shot can protect you, your family and those around you.

Students may be at higher risk of getting the flu as they come together in close public spaces including the classroom, gymnasium, lunch room and library.

The flu shot is especially important for students who have a chronic condition (e.g. asthma, diabetes) or those who live with or have close contact with a pregnant woman, kids less than five years old, or a resident of a nursing home or other chronic care facility since these groups are at higher risk of getting very sick or being hospitalized because of the flu.

Flu shots are free and are readily available at:

• Health care provider’s offices for people six months of age and older

• Participating pharmacies, for people five years of age and older

In addition to getting the flu shot annually, here are some other health tips that can help prevent the spread of the flu:

• Wash your hands well and often with either soap and water or alcohol based hand rub

• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze (if you do not have a tissue,cough into your upper sleeve)

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth

• Stay home when you’re sick

• Clean and disinfect surfaces and shared items

It’s important to get the flu shot as early as possible as it can take nearly two weeks for the influenza vaccine to take full effect.

To learn more about flu and flu vaccine, visit york.ca/flu.

PUBLIC HEALTH 1-877-464-9675 TTY 1-866-512-6228 york.ca/flu