85 Burnt Elm Drive, Brampton On, L7A 1T8 Phone 905-495-9368 Fax 905-495-9371

Principal—Mrs. W. Vokey Vice-Principal-Mrs. T. Ajrawat Vice-Principal-Ms. B. Ritchee

Office Manager-Mrs. S. Corbett Superintendent-Mr. Mark Haarmann Trustee-Mrs. S. Nurse

February 2013 EDITION

The Burnt Elm Banner

A Message from the Principal—

January Highlights

Our grade 3 students led us in song and verse to celebrate January’s charac-

ter trait theme—”Inclusive”. Many families were able to join us for the as-

sembly and Benny made a special visit, too! Thank you to the grade 3 stu-

dents and teachers, along with Ms. Moddle, for a fabulous assembly to hon-

our the inclusive behaviour of our students.

Kindergarten registration took place during the week of February 4th to 8th.

We look forward to welcoming many new JK students to Burnt Elm. If you

have any questions about registration, please feel welcome to call the school

at 905-495-9368.

Kindergarten report cards went home on January 31st and grade 1-5 report

cards will go home on February 11th. Our students are to be commended for

their efforts during this past term.

The community park near Burnt Elm is slated for a community skating

rink. We hope that the weather will be cold enough to allow the water to

freeze. The rink is set to be put in during the week of February 11th-15th.

Happy skating and enjoy the long Family Day weekend!

Reading Tip:

Point out to your child different

signs in the community.

Write out a shopping list in front

of your child and talk about what

you are doing.

Look at advertisements in news-

papers, magazines and on televi-

sion and talk about what the ad

is for.

Draw attention to print

on packages.

Inserts:

Supporting Mental Health In

Our School Community

Action plan provides roadmap

for equitable hiring, promotion

at Peel board

Celebrating Faith and Culture

Welcome to the home of Benny

the Bengal!

School Success Update

February is Black History month. We look forward to story teller presenta-

tions on February 20th by J. Nichole Noel, a multi-talented artist who has

recorded a CD, written poetry and children’s books. The performance is enti-

tled Nephetiti and Sweetie Go to the Zoo. The performance is about

friendship and inclusion of all cultures.

Our community youth officer will be visiting our K-Gr. 5 classes later in Feb-

ruary to promote community and school safety efforts. On February 21st,

School Council will be hosting another family movie night and on

February 22nd, our Kindergarten students will perform in our

Caring Assemblies. We hope you are able to join us for both events.

What's Happening At Burnt Elm?

Our Burnt Elm students who received certificates for their “Inclusive” behavior demonstrated during the month of

January are:

Gr.1–Emily B., Jason C., Ayan S., Fiona B., Leila A., Sukhkaran G., Connor G., Nelavan K., Sienna B., Karman S.

Gr.2– Carson R., Kiarra D., Bella C., Reese K., Gurleen R., Joradan C., Azlan K., Brooke B., Tariq T., Gurvir M., Nathanael P.

Gr.3– Arya M., Gurtaj T., Gurjashan P., Sarah W., Abeeshan S., Wajma S., Harish S., Shaelyn K., Rasleen D., Puja G., Harsimran-

jot N., Harshita T., Kisho M.

Gr.4– Jordan M., Aaron J., Manjot C., Adesewa K., Matthew P., Gurveen D., Tanae D.

Gr.5– Aaron A., Madison B., Pravin A., Amiya B., William K., Gurneet A., Shajika N., Suvan L., Alden

Congratulations to our recipients for being “Inclusive.”

Lunchroom Supervisors

We are looking for individuals who would be interested in becoming supply lunchroom supervisors. Inter-

ested applicants would require a recent criminal record check (within the last six months). If you are inter-

ested please contact Ms. Ajrawat at 905-495-9368.

Bullying Tips

Tell the bully how you feel.

Use a strong voice and kind words to tell the bully to stop.

Use only words

Walk away from the bully and ignore the bully.

Tell an adult about the situation and get help.

Character Trait Theme: Caring

Showing kindness towards people and other living things.

Listen to and respond appropriately to the concerns of others.

Help others who are in need. Demonstrate empathy by recognizing and identifying with the feelings of others.

Our caring character trait assembly is scheduled for Feb. 22nd (9:00 am and 1:30 pm) in the blue gym. All

are welcome to attend.

Burnt Elm’s Students’ Work(K)

A friend likes to play.

A friend will help you.

A friend can care about you.

A friend never hits you.

By: Aamir in Mrs. Gabor’s class

A friend likes to play.

A friend will help.

A friend can watch a movie with you.

A friend never pushes.

By: Eric in Mrs. Gabor’s class

A friend likes to play.

A friend will be nice.

A friend can talk with a friend.

A friend never pushes.

By: Mrs. McKillop’s class

A friend likes to play.

A friend will be nice.

A friend can talk with a friend.

A friend never pushes.

By: Mrs. McKillop’s class

A friend likes to play with you.

A friend will share.

A friend can make you smile.

A friend never pushes you.

By: Mrs. Maxwell’s P.M. Class

ACTION: Education Week 2013 deadlines & info

Education Week 2013 will be held April 15 to 26. As a result of labour action, our timeline is

compressed this year.

We have set one deadline, Friday, Feb. 15, for the submission of ALL of the following

forms:

Award of Distinction

Award of Excellence

Education Champion

School Activities

The Education Week handbook materials, which include all of the forms, have been posted on

the Communications page of the intranet: http://inet.peelschools.org/departments/comm. We

will not be printing or distributing handbooks this year.

Please send all completed forms by Friday, Feb. 15 to the attention of Donna Baptie

by fax at 905-890-1112 or by email at donna.baptie@peelsb.com.

Please share this information with your school's Education Week representative. If you do not

have an Education Week representative and need support with planning your activities, please

contact Kayla Tishcoff at 905-890-1010 ext. 2239 or email her at kayla.tishcoff@peelsb.com.

If you have any questions about Education Week, please feel free to contact Ryan Reyes by

phone at 905-890-1010 ext. 2652 or by email at ryan.reyes@peelsb.com.

Supporting Mental Health In Our School

Community MSEP workshop

ESL teachers, administrative staff and school settlement workers are invited to attend Supporting

Mental Health In Our School Community —a workshop focused on student well-being in schools.

We welcome each school to register a team with two staff members (Principal, Vice Principals,

ESL teacher or Guidance counsellors) and your settlement worker.

Date: Feb 27, 2013

Time: 3:30 to 6 p.m. (a light dinner and refreshments will be provided)

Location: HJA Brown Education Centre, Mississauga Room

Presentations

“Introduction to Mental Health and Resources in Peel” By; Tammy Whelen; Educator, Canadian Mental Health Association

“Student Wellbeing and Pathway to Care” By; Maureen MacKay, Coordinator of Student Well Being, Peel District School Board

During this interactive session, school teams will learn effective strategies to support student

well-being while gaining the knowledge of mental health resources available in Peel

Space is limited to 30 school teams of 2 - 3 and registration will be

filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Register your school team before Feb 22, 2013 by contacting Nala Moorthy, MSEP facilitator,

at 905-890-1010, ext. 2173 or nalayini.moorthy@peelsb.com

Action plan provides roadmap for equitable hiring, promotion at Peel

board

Research-based plan will “transform” work of board in equitable hiring

A new action plan, The Journey Ahead, will transform the work of the Peel District School Board in equitable

hiring and promotion. The detailed action plan will help create a more diverse workforce at all levels of the organi-

zation. It is based on extensive research by an external firm with significant and specific expertise in the area of

diversity hiring.

Notes Director of Education Tony Pontes, “It’s critically important that we immediately take action on the research

report. We have developed and will implement The Journey Ahead: Our Action Plan for Equitable Hiring

and Promotion in Peel. This detailed action plan directly addresses the findings from the research. It will ensure

that our work in the area of equitable hiring and promotion is bias-free, deliberate, planned, systematic and consis-

tent with our goals, policies and mission. The Journey Ahead action plan will transform the work of the Peel Dis-

trict School Board in equitable hiring.”

One of the board’s key goals is to “attract, develop and retain a diverse staff of committed, dedicated and caring

people.” Explains Pontes, “The Journey Ahead turns our goal into action, with immediate changes, defined time-

lines, clear transparency and public accountability. It’s a roadmap to help us achieve our goal of ensuring a highly

qualified, diverse workforce.”

In January 2012, the board’s Diversity Leadership Council—composed of staff and community representatives re-

flecting the five groups identified in the Human Rights Code—recommended a review of the board’s hiring and

promotion practices. To ensure that the research was neutral, a company with significant and specific expertise in

the area of diversity hiring, Turner Consulting Group Inc., was hired to conduct the research and develop the re-

search report. The consultants reviewed policies and documents, reviewed competition files, conducted focus groups

with staff, interviewed individual staff and leaders, and invited all staff to participate in an online questionnaire.

The research report provides the context and data based on this extensive process and provides findings to

strengthen the board’s hiring and promotion processes in three priority areas:

Ensure equitable hiring processes

Ensure an equitable academic promotion process

Diversity and Inclusion

The Journey Ahead action plan defines specific actions for the 33 findings in the three priority areas, and sets a

timeline for completion. Recommendations, which are subject to budget, will be brought forward to the board sepa-

rately.

Adds Pontes, “This action plan is ambitious, and the journey may be challenging, but this work is absolutely neces-

sary and will be done. The Journey Ahead action plan will help us to achieve our mission: to inspire success, con-

fidence and hope in each student. I stand behind the plan, with a commitment to our staff and community that we

will do more to ensure a diverse workforce at all levels of the organization that is reflective of our community. This

plan clearly defines the journey to reach that destination.”

The Journey Ahead Action Plan and the research report can be found online at www.peelschools.org.

Celebrating Faith and Culture

February 2013

DATE

CELEBRATION FAITH AND CULTURE

February Buxwlaks Aboriginal Spirituality

February 1 or 24 Lantern Festival Buddhism

February 1 or 2 Imbolc Wicca

February 3 Setsubun-sai Shinto

February 7 to 26 month of Mulk Bahá’í

February 10 Lunar Year/Maitreya Bodhisattva’s Birthday Buddhism

February 13 Ash Wednesday Christianity

February 14 or 15 Vasant Panchami Hinduism

February 15 National Flag Day Canada

February 15 Nirvana Day Buddhism

February 18 Heritage Day Canada

February 18 Family Day Ontario

Eve of February 23 to 24 Purim Judaism

February 25 Magha Puja Buddhism

February 26 to March 1 Intercalary Days Bahá'í

Winter Weather

Please make sure your child is prepared for winter weather with warm

coat, snow pants, mitts, scarf and boots. Students go out twice a day.