Hello everyone,

Now that we are into December, we are asking students to

kindly bring warmer coats, boots, etc., as we will endeav-

our to go outside for as many breaks as possible. We have

already seen that the temperature can drop drastically on

any given day, so it is best to be prepared for whatever

comes our way.

This month, as you may have read, besides weather uncertainty, our teachers have be-

gun “job action” as directed by their provincial leadership at the Elementary Teachers

Federation of Ontario. School is open, transportation is running and the instructional

days will continue as normal. Should these circumstances change, we will communicate

with you immediately. Please refer to the DSBN website: www.dsbn.org and you will

find the “Negotiations Update” link which will be able to answer more questions for

you.

I would also like to share that our Vice Principal, Mrs. Little, will not be with us for the

month of December as she needs to undergo some radiation treatment as a follow up to

her surgery to remove thyroid cancer. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her

family and we look forward to having her back with us in January! We welcome in her

place for the next three weeks, Ms. Mercier (our grade 1/2 teacher), who will be wonder-

ful in the role and has all of her principal qualifications. Mrs. Campbell will be working

with Ms. Mercier and co-teaching the grade 1/2 class.

Finally, this month is sure to bring lots of excitement as we all get caught up in the holi-

day season - whether we are observing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or another cele-

bration, it will be a month filled with fun and anticipation. Our “Holiday concert” is on

Tuesday, December 18th at 2:00pm. Please come and join us if you can. Students will

finish school on Friday, December 21st and will return to school on Monday, January

7th.

On behalf of all the staff at Westdale, we wish you and your family a very safe and

happy holiday season!

Mrs. Poppy Gilliam, Principal

From the Principal’s Desk

I n s i d e t h i s

i s s u e :

Math Help 2

Inclement

Weather

2

December

Celebrations

3

Grade 8—9

Open Houses

4

Boys’

Volleyball

4

Literacy 5

Westdale Public

School

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2 N E W S L E T T E R

Superintendent:

John Dickson

905-641-1550

Ext. 54120

Principal:

Mrs. Poppy Gilliam

Vice-Principal

Mrs. Charlene Little

Secretary:

Mrs. Dawn Holderney

P a g e 2

Inclement Weather Conditions

Math Support

Does your child struggle with their math homework at

times? Would they benefit from free math tutoring pro-

vided by certified Ontario teachers?

Online math homework help is available for all Grade

7‐10 math students. Registered students can log in at

http://homeworkhelp.ilc.org from Sunday to Thursday, 5:30‐9:30 p.m. for

20 hours a week for one‐on‐one confidential tutoring, all within the comfort

of their own home. Contact your student’s Math teacher or Guidance coun-

sellor to register. DSBN has over 3,100 students registered, many of whom

are accessing the free tutoring service to support their efforts to successfully

complete their math assignments and support their learning. From Sunday

to Thursday, 5:30‐9:30 p.m. for 20 hours a week for one‐on‐one confiden-

tial tutoring, all within the comfort of their own home. Math Support

Website:

In cases of severe winter weather, the following radio stations will announce any bus cancella-

tions or school closings starting at 7:00 a.m. The bus company that serves our area is DanNel.

We ask for your support in listening to the radio announcements rather than calling the school

to see whether it is open or not.

CKTB 610 CHTZ 97.7 CHRE 105.7 CKEY 105.1 CHSC 1220 CKOC 1150

KLITE 102.9 CHML 900 CHAM 820 Y 108 107.9 FM SPIRIT 91.7

Also, the DSBN website will have notices posted if schools are to be closed.

As well, each family should have a contingency plan in place in the event of an emergency clo-

sure during the school day. Each child should know where they are supposed to go and what

they are supposed to do if the school is closed early. You have already indicated your wishes

with respect to this on the student information form sent home in September. Please keep in

mind that we do not have sufficient phone lines to contact each family immediately. Therefore,

it is very important that your children be aware of the arrangements you have made for them.

Don’t forget indoor shoes are needed at school at all times! We want your student to be safe

and dry.

W e s t d a l e P u b l i c S c h o o l

http://

homework-

help.ilc.org

December Celebrations

P a g e 3 N E W S L E T T E R

Our School Council will help us spread some

joy in our classrooms and the school on Mon-

day, December 3rd. Students will be involved

in making decorations

to celebrate the holiday

cheer. Festivities will

be concluded with a

cookie and hot choco-

late provided by School

Council.

FOOD & TOY DRIVE JOY DAY

Get ready to “boogie” this Wednesday, December 5th! Thanks to School

Council for organizing our annual student Dance-a-Thon!!! Kids will have a

an opportunity to get some great physical exercise and dance for a good

cause! School Council is doing the dance-a-thon for kids to have fun, as a

fund raiser, and as a way to collect canned goods to help families in need this

holiday season. What a great way to teach kids how they can make a differ-

ence and help others!

DANCE-A-THON

WESTDALE T-SHIRTS!

Coming this week…every student will be re-

ceiving a Westdale t-shirt compliments of our

hard working School Council! A HUGE thank

you to our School Council for making this pos-

sible! What a wonderful way to boost our

school pride and school spirit! Our hope is for

the December 21st assembly, our students

can wear their t-shirts over a longer shirt (to

stay warm) and show their school spirit!

For the month of December,

Westdale will be focusing on

the character trait of

“Caring”. To help put this

character trait into action, we

will be collecting food items

and toys for all ages that can

be distributed to families in

our community who need

them most. (You will notice

our piles of food growing at

the front doors.)

To encourage the giving of food, this year for

their annual dance-a-thon, School Council of-

fered students the opportunity to either make a

cash donation or a food donation. Thank you

School Council for your support in this initiative

as well!

Remembrance Day Assembly

Thank you to Mr. Brown and all the staff who planned a beautiful Remembrance Day assembly, and to our student emcees that day, Mary and Leah! Students took time to reflect and remember during a beautiful assembly. Special thanks to Ms. O’Neill and her grade 3 class for singing “Imagine”, Mrs. Shapiro and her Grade 4/5 class for their rendition of “In Flanders Fields”, Ms. Patten’s class for their acrostic poetry and to Mr. Nelson’s Grade 7/8 class for their beautiful tableaux. Thank you everyone!

Grade 8 Secondary School Open Houses

Sir Winston Secondary School Open House

January 14th, 2013- 6:30pm start

Your evening will include:

•‘Welcome to Sir Winston’ Presentation •Our Grade 9 Program Information Session •Extra Curricular Program Displays •Refreshments

St. Catharine’s Collegiate School Open House

January 16th, 2013

6pm— 8pm, starting in the Auditorium

•‘Welcome to St. Catharine’s Collegiate’ Presentation •Our Grade 9 Program Information Session •Extra Curricular Program Displays •Refreshments

* Please note that our Grade 8’s living in our Westdale boundary, are eligible to attend either St. Catharine’s

Collegiate or Sir Winston Churchill. We hope you attend both Open Houses to help make your decision as

both schools are excellent schools.

Westdale’s Spotlight on Literacy

P a g e 5 N E W S L E T T E R

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more

that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

- Dr. Seuss

Oral language is the foundation for reading. Listening and speaking are a child’s first

introduction to language. Talking and singing teach your child the sounds of language,

making it easier for him or her to learn how to read. These oral experiences are neces-

sary for reading skills to emerge. Some fun ways to engage your child in oral language

include:

•singing songs •saying nursery rhymes •reciting poetry •playing rhyming games •making up silly riddles •telling funny stories

By engaging in these activities, your child will build an appreciation for words and lan-

guage. This is fundamental for reading and writing to happen.

If your child’s first language is not English, he/she can still become an excellent Eng-

lish reader and writer. You can support your child at home by developing oral lan-

guage skills in his/her first language, as well as by reading with your child in your first

language. In other words, do the same kinds of activities mentioned, but do them in

your child’s first language. These experiences will prove to be invaluable!

School Shopping Day Fundraiser

Thursday, December 6th

(9:30am—8:30pm)

The Fourth Ave. location of M&M Meat Shops in St. Catharines cordially

invites you to attend our annual School Shopping Day.

Westdale Public School receives a 10%

rebate on your purchases made on this day.

Mark your calendars now. A list showing the specials will be sent home later in the month.

The event is open to your family, friends & neighbours who would like to support the school

so don’t forget to advertise the date & location to your contacts electronically.

DECEMBER’S CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Monday, December 3rd - “Joy Day” (hot chocolate and cookies provided by School Council!)

Wednesday, December 5th - “Dance-a-thon” - Thank you School Council!

Thursday, December 6th - M & M Meat day (4th Ave. location)

Tuesday, December 11th - Grade 4 - 8 trip to Peter Pan (leaving at 10am,

returning by 1:45pm)

Tuesday, December 11th - Collection of hot dog money ($1 per hotdog)

Wednesday, December 12th - Hot Dog Day

Thursday, December 13th - Pizza Day

Tuesday, December 18th - Primary/Junior Holiday Concert - 2pm (everyone welcome)

Wednesday, December 19th - L’hiver Carnaval - Our French Winter Carnival hosted by Mrs. Cabaj’s classes

Wednesday, December 19th - 2:30pm: ELP sharing with parents

Thursday, December 20th - 9:30am: School Carol Sing (everyone welcome to join us)

Friday, December 21st - 9:30am - Paws for Applause Assembly - Focus on “Caring”

L’hiver Carnaval/Winter Carnival!

The Grade 7 and 8 students are going to host a Winter Carnival for all stu-

dents, Early Learning Program children through Grade 6. Winter Carnival

will be on Wednesday, December 19th for the entire day. The Grade 7 and 8

students are excited to share some of their French knowledge with the

younger students. If students wish to purchase items such as candy cane

grams, a gift for a member of their family for the holidays (Mrs. Cabaj will

be purchasing $250 worth of gifts from the dollar store that children can

choose from), popcorn and more…we encourage children to bring $3.00 on

the 19th to participate in these activities should they choose. (We’re thinking

of one gift per child.)

Thank you for your cooperation and your support. We would like to wish

you a Joyeux Noel!!!