December is always a busy and exciting month. There are decorations to be hung. Shopping has to be done. Plans

need to be made. Lists must be checked. Cards are to be sent. Over the holidays there are plenty of fun activities

that you can do with your children that are fun and educational.

You can help your children continue to learn and stay active by taking a math hike. Walk together through your

neighbourhood or along one of the many beautiful trails in our area. You can have children help to plan the outing by

discussing how far you might go, how long it will take and how fast you might travel. Children can be math detectives

as they consider and discuss some of the following:

What geometric shapes can you find, manmade or natural?

What patterns can you see?

How could you estimate how tall or wide something is?

Do you see symmetry anywhere?

Are there arrangements that make it easy to count how many objects you see?

Can you guess the angles formed by branches or leaves? How did you estimate?

Do you see numerals anywhere? What do they tell us?

For long lasting fun, take along a camera to capture pictures of the math you see.

On behalf of the staff of Greendale School, we wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

Have you

“Liked” us on

the Greendale

Public School

Facebook Page?

Do you want to keep up with

the many great activities

that are happening at

Greendale? Simply “like” our

Facebook page to learn about

events on a daily basis.

From the Principal’s Desk

Our November Students of the Month were:

ELP1 Lucas V., Lucas M., Teanna R. Gr. 3-2 Bryson L.

ELP2 Miles B., Harlan M., Emmet M. Gr. 4 Grace B.

ELP3 Hunter B. Gr. 5 Katarina C., Gillian H.

Gr. 1 Hilary H., Cole Q. Gr. 6 Dayna P., Joevince Q.

Gr. 1/2 Kalysta T., Aliyah N. Gr. 7/8M Emma M., Jake W.

Gr. 2 Chloe B., Mohammed N. Gr. 7/8H Alivia C., Kamil D.

Gr. 3-1 Camila R. SEFS

Our character trait for the month of December is caring.

Students of the Month for November

Friday, December 23rd is

our last school day before

our Christmas holidays

begin. School reopens on

Monday, January 9th, 2017 at

8:55 AM. Happy

Holidays!

Christmas Break Dismissal

Snowballs are dangerous and

students are reminded of our

throwing snowballs

will receive a letter to parents

and further consequences at

school. Please remind your

children of the dangers of

throwing snowballs or playing in

ditches and on snow banks as

they walk to and from school.

Throw No

Snow!

Please Send Indoor

Shoes to School!

With winter coming

and students wearing

boots, it is important,

have indoor shoes to

wear at school!

Grade One French Immersion at John Marshall

Inclement Weather Procedures

Page 2 Gator Gazette for December 2016

Parents and Guardians of Senior Kindergarten students interested in attending French Immersion in

Grade 1 next September are invited to attend an information session at John Marshall Public School,

3910 St. James Ave., Niagara Falls, on Thursday, January 12 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm. Online registration

begins January 9 at www.dsbn.org.

Winter’s Here!

any bus changes and school closings. Please do not

call the school! Keep our phone lines open!

Please be aware that arrival after 8:40 a.m. will

ensure supervision of students by staff on the school yard. Arrival

prior to 8:40 means students will be alone on the playground. During

inclement weather, students will be admitted at 8:40 a.m.

The Christmas Bazaar will take place on December

20th and 21st

the opportunity to create their own

element of surprise during the holidays. All students

will be able to purchase gifts for their families. Items will be

priced between $1.00 and $6.00 each.

School Council Holiday Bazaar

There may be times during the school year where inclement weather or other situations could cause transportation cancellations or school

closures.

At times when student transportation has been cancelled and schools remain open, the decision of whether or not to have children in school on

that day rests with the parent or guardian.

Should you decide not to send your child to school in the event that transportation is cancelled but schools remain open, or if your

child is ill or late, please ensure that you call your child’s school to inform them of your child’s absence.

A key resource in any emergency is the DSBN Emergency Information form that you filled out at the beginning of the school year. Please let

the school know of any changes in contact information or procedures you wish to be followed throughout the school year.

For secondary schools it may become necessary to cancel late buses. Notice will be provided via school announcements and on the websites

and subscription features by 11:30 a.m.

Information about transportation cancellations and school closures will be available as soon as it is available

through the following channels:

Websites:

www.nsts.ca

Subscription Features:

DSBN Facebook or Twitter

NSTS Transportation Delay or Cancellation Alerts

Phone:

Niagara Student Transportation Services 905-346-0290 Voice Auto Attendant

Radio Stations: Television Stations

CKTB (610 AM) St. Catharines CHRE (105.7 FM) St. Catharines CH – Hamilton CityTV Breakfast Television

WAVE (94.7 FM) Hamilton CHTZ-FM (97.7 FM) St. Catharines CTV Toronto Cogeco Channel 10

CKOC (1150 AM) Hamilton CKEY (105.1 FM) Niagara Falls

CHML (900 AM) Hamilton K-LITE-FM (102.9 FM) Hamilton

CHAM (820 AM) Hamilton GIANT FM (91.7 FM) Welland

Y-108(107.9) Hamilton

POINSETTIA FUNDRAISER IS BACK!

Page 3

Is Your Child Going to be Absent?

Please call the school office when your child will be absent. An

answering machine is available 24 hours a day.

the following guidelines when deciding whether you should send

any of the following symptoms:

1. A temperature of more than 100 degrees

2. Nausea or vomiting

3. Stomachache

4. Diarrhea

5. Pale or flushed face

6. Persistent cough

7. Headache

8. Earache

9. Thick yellowish discharge from the nose

10. Sore throat

11. Rash or infection of the skin

12. Red or pink eyes

13. Loss of energy or decrease in activity

If your child has any of these symptoms when it is time

for school, it is best that he/she stay home until they are

symptom free for 24 hours.

Practicing regular hand washing and teaching children to

“cover their cough” are great ways to prevent the spread

of illness.

Me to We

food, new unwrapped toys and Canadian Tire money to donate towards our Project Share Christmas Cheer Drive running

Dec 8th. The class who brings in the most items will win a hot chocolate and treat party! Greendale will also be in a friendly

competition between schools to see which school can bring the most items. Let's go for it and take first place this year! Some

students on our Christmas Cheer team will be attending the Good News Breakfast put on by Project Share in conjunction with

.

Back by popular demand.... We will be offering this exciting fundraiser once again this year . We have 6” red,

white or red/white mix $10.00/each. Please see the order form sent home with your child(ren), or feel free to contact the

school at 905-358-8111. Orders are due back to the school by December 2nd. Cheques should be made payable

to Greendale Public School. This years proceeds will directly support our FSP (Fundamental Skills Program).

The girls volleyball team had a great season! Each player showed

good sportsmanship and improved tremendously in their volleyball

skills. Congratulations to Jennie, Hannah, Katarina, Hannah P, Abby

T, Amaya, Abby V, Elise, Makenzy, Ruba, Eden, Gillian, Alyse, Mia,

Gracyn and Ava. Great job gators!

Junior Volleyball

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not

even a...wait a minute! The mice are stirring and are eating everything in sight! The elves are in a

panic, Santa and Mrs. Claus are upset...will Christmas be cancelled? We hope you will join us in

celebrating the season with this holiday musical.

13th at 2:15pm and Thursday, December 15th at 11:30 am. In lieu of tickets, canned

goods/donations to Project Share would be appreciated at the door. Please come out and enjoy some holiday cheer!

Holiday Show—Mice Before Christmas

Public Health

Page 4 Gator Gazette for December 2016

Clean Your Hands

Cleaning your hands is the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs. Regular hand cleaning with soap and water, or

an alcohol based hand sanitizer will reduce the risk of getting sick.

Cleaning your hands should occur:

Before preparing meals

Before eating

After using the washroom

After coughing or sneezing

After blowing your nose

After playing with pets

After playing outdoors

Use warm water and soap and lather and scrub for at least 15 seconds if your hands are visibly dirty.

For more information, talk to your school nurse or go to www.niagararegion.ca/health.

Thank your child’s teacher this holiday with a tribute gift to the Foundation. All proceeds provide basic necessities for DSBN students! An acknowledgement holiday card will be sent to your teacher in your child’s name! Visit efnniagara.ca to donate! Or call 905-641-2929 x 37712 or email efn@dsbn.org

Thank you to all of the Me to We members who participated in the Fast for Change. Students

Welfare and Project Share's Coldest Night (for the Homeless). The kids learned a little bit

about what it feels like to be hungry. It's a great lesson to learn in order to understand how

others feel around the world who go without much food on a daily basis. The students had a

great time doing the scavenger hunt for food, the traditional fashion show, learning about global causes and eating a feast

Potluck dinner!

Fast for Change

Each year hundreds, even thousands of people are diagnosed with

and radi-

ation which causes hair loss. YOU can help support those people going

through treatment, simply by growing your hair!! Real hair can be donated

each year and made into a wig for someone. It takes 8 ponytails of 8

inches in length to make one real hair wig! If your child would like to donate their

Please make sure

Hairy Challenge continues!

Page 5

The intermediate girls volleyball team had a very successful season. The following players: Grace, Jaylin, Kaylin,

Lanaya, Jill, Abby, Katherine, Elena and Emma fought hard and played amazing. The team made it to the finals of

the regular season but sadly lost to Forestview in a close game. With the team's great success they made it to the

DSBN tournament. In the tournament they had both wins and loses but still stayed positive throughout the whole

day. After an amazing comeback victory over rivals Orchard Park, the girls ended up playing Port Weller in the

Intermediate Girls Volleyball

Our Junior Boys Volleyball season has come to an end for 2016. They are to be commended for their sportsman-

ship and dedication to continuously refining their skills. As time went on, their vollies, bumps and serves improved

.,

Bao H., Elliot M., Kean T., Hoa V., Va'quwyen B ., Joevince Q., Damian Z., Arham M., Ryan D., Brayden C. and Aldin

P. A special thank you to the parents for their continued support and driving to and from the games. A double

thank you goes to the Intermediate Girls Volleyball team for being assistant coaches during practices and to Hau

V. for being an assistant coach at the games.

Junior Boys Volleyball