Hello everyone,

Now that we are into December, we are

asking students to kindly bring warmer

coats, boots, etc., as we will endeavour to

go outside for as many breaks as possible.

We have already seen that the temperature

can drop drastically on any given day, so

better to be prepared for whatever comes

our way.

I want to extend a thank you to our won-

derful School Council who once again

purchased a t-shirt for every child and staff member in the school. This year they chose pink

shirts to support the National anti-bullying campaign. The back of the shirts say ―Make a Dif-

ference‖, a wonderful message for us to live by every day. We have also had the Niagara Ice

Dogs come in to do an anti-bullying presentation for our entire school, and we are helping them

promote the message — ―Bullying, Just Stop It!‖.

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

son - whether we are observing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Diwali or any other celebra-

tion, it will be a month filled with fun and anticipation. Our Primary (Grades 1 - 3) Holiday

Concert is on Tuesday, December 15th at 2pm, and our Kindergarten Holiday Concert is on

Wednesday, December 16th at 2pm. Please come and join us if you can. Students will finish

school on Friday, December 18th and will return to school on Monday, January 4th.

From our Westdale family to yours, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family

a very safe and happy holiday season!

Mrs. Poppy Gilliam

From the Principal’s

I n s i d e t h i s

i s s u e :

Inclement

Weather

2

Food Drive 2

JK Open

House

4

Secondary

Open Houses

4

Literacy 5

French

Immersion

7

Outdoors 8

Westdale Public

School

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5 N E W S L E T T E R

Principal:

Mrs. Poppy Gilliam

Vice-Principal

Mr. Jason Clarke

Secretary:

Mrs. Dawn Holderney

If you are a family in need or know a family who could use some extra support this holiday sea-

son, please kindly call Mrs. Gilliam to let her know as we will be distributing the food and toys

that we collect internally to our own Westdale families. Anything extra will be donated to Com-

munity Care. Thank you.

Help this holiday season?

Calendar 9

P a g e 2

Inclement Weather Conditions

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

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 Friday, December

4th. Students will be in-

volved in making decora-

tions to celebrate holiday

cheer. Festivities will be

concluded with a cookie and

hot chocolate provided by

School Council.

FOOD & TOY DRIVE JOY DAY

Get ready to ―boogie‖ on

Wednesday, December 9th!

Thanks to School Council for

organizing our annual student

Dance-a-Thon!!! Kids will have

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 difference and help others!

DANCE-A-THON

Westdale School and our School Council have

been offering a breakfast program 5 days a

week. Foods offered are healthy and include 3

food groups on any given day (e.g., bagels,

fruit, cheese, yogurt, cereal bars, smoothies and

oatmeal). If you are able to help out or have

any questions, please call the office. We are

always looking for volunteers. Your commit-

ment would be from 8:15am until 8:45am.

Please call Mrs. Gilliam if you can help out.

For the month of Decem-

ber, Westdale will be fo-

cusing 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, School Council,

for their annual dance-a-thon, have offered stu-

dents the opportunity to either make a cash dona-

tion or a food donation to get tickets for the

draw. Thank you School Council for your sup-

port in this initiative as well!

Soon the protective surface on the playground will become frozen, and the play structures (e.g.,

slide, climbers) will be closed for the winter to ensure the safety of our students. We will let

you know when it is officially closed. Please note that this closure will also pertain to children

who do not attend Westdale School (e.g., younger siblings).

WINTER PLAYGROUND SAFETY

We are collecting Canadian Tire $ until Monday, De-

cember 14th. All funds collected will help purchase

toys for some of our families in need.

BREAKFAST CLUB

CANADIAN TIRE $

Kindergarten Open House

Secondary Open Houses

A.N. Myer Secondary: Thursday, December 3 - 6:30 p.m.

Beamsville Secondary: Wednesday, December 2- 6:30 p.m.

E.L. Crossley Secondary: Tuesday December 1 - 6:30 p.m.

Eastdale Secondary: Thursday, December 3 – 6:00 p.m.

Eden High: Tuesday, December 1 - 7:00 p.m.

Fort Erie Secondary: Wednesday, December 2 - 6:30 p.m.

Governor Simcoe Secondary: Thursday, December 3 - 6:30 p.m.

Grimsby Secondary: Tuesday, December 1 – 6:30 p.m.

Laura Secord Secondary: Wednesday, December 2 – 6:00 p.m.

Port Colborne High School: Monday, November 30 - 6:00 p.m.

Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School: Wednesday, December 2-5:30 p.m.

St. Catharines Collegiate: Wednesday, December 2 – 6:00 p.m.

Sir Winston Churchill Secondary: Thursday, December 3 - 6:00 p.m.

South Lincoln High School: Thursday, December 3 – 6:30 p.m.

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!

http://homeworkhelp.ilc.org

MOVEMBER

A special thanks out there to the men who helped

raise money and awareness this month for Movem-

ber! A very special thank you to Mr. Strickland

who brought in cookies each week to sell to raise

money for the cause, and raised almost $2000! Mrs.

Philip’s class also got into the fun and wore mus-

taches as well and contributed funds to help Mr.

Strickland’s campaign!

Congratulations to Scarlet who

brought in the most Canadian

Tire $, and was able to

―recreate‖

Mr. Nelson’s beard in front of

all the intermediate kids. All of

the Canadian Tire money raised

will go towards purchasing toys

and items for Westdale families

in need this Holiday Season.

If you are a family in need this

holiday season, please give Mrs.

Gilliam a call at the office.

Raising Canadian Tire Money to help Westdale families

FRENCH IMMERSION

French Immersion Registration

The French Immersion program (offered at French Immersion sites) is open to all students in Sen-ior Kindergarten interested in enrolling for the 2016-2017 year. If you want your child to develop a high proficiency and fluency in Canada’s two official languages, French Immersion has a great

deal to offer.

Features of the French Immersion program:

Development of French language skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing from grades

one to twelve;

Designed to be a second language program for children whose first language is NOT French;

Current enrolment of over 2,500 elementary students;

Certificate of French Immersion Studies awarded upon successful completion of the elemen-

tary and secondary Immersion program;

Promoting understanding of different cultures;

Providing additional opportunities for employment using French as the working language;

An increased ability to communicate and interact with confidence in French.

Registration will open January 4th, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. and will close February 16th, 2016 at 9:00 a.m.

For more information about French Immersion in the District School Board of Niagara visit

www.dsbn.org/fi or call Mrs. Gilliam or Mr. Clarke.

Parent Information session for Jeanne Sauvé will be held on Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 6-7 p.m.

Jeanne Sauvé French Immersion Public School

Principal: Mme C. Sitko

Vice-Principal: Mme P. McIntee

91 Bunting Road, St Catharines, L2P 3G8

Walker Living Campus Outdoor Education Centre

Recently the Grades

2, 6 and 7 classes en-

joyed some amazing

adventures at the

Walker Living Cam-

pus Outdoor Educa-

tion Centre. Students

did adventure hikes,

low ropes courses as

well as some geo-

caching. The Centre

looks AMAZING and

we are so lucky to

have been given a

sneak peek before it

officially opens for

elementary students!

UPCOMING DATES:

Friday, December 4th: Joy Day (Thanks to School Council for our hot chocolate and cookies!)

Tuesday December 8th: Grade 1 - 8 trip to see Mary Poppins

Tues., December 8th: Please bring back Dance-a-thon pledge forms with donations ($ or food). Thanks!

Wednesday, December 9th: Dance-a-thon

Tuesday, December 15th: 2pm - Primary (Grades 1– 3) Holiday Concert

Wednesday, December 16th: 2pm - Kindergarten Holiday Concert

Friday, December 18th - 9am: Caring Paws for Applause Assembly and carol sing

- wear your craziest holiday sweater

THANK YOU SCHOOL COUNCIL FOR OUR T-SHIRTS!