KEG RAFFLE

The Grade 8 Keg Raffle was an extraordinary suc-cess!

Thank-you to all of the raffle ticket buyers and do-nors who helped raise over $300 for the Grade 8 graduation.

Congratulations to our winner, Lee-Ann Crilley, whose ticket was drawn Tuesday, February 2nd during morning announcements. She receives the gift card to The Keg! Enjoy!

CANADIAN IDENTITY

Drop by the school and see the wonderful dioramas in the front foyer done by Ms. Folkeard’s Grade 7 student.

SKATE DAYS

The school skate days have been a great success. Thank you to all the families that donated skates for the swap and for all the parents that came out to help supervise and tie up skates. We could not have had as much fun without all your support.

Please remember we have one more skate day on February 9th. Come out and see all the fun!!!!

FAMILY SKATE DAY

Glen Cedar School Council held their first Family Skate day on Sunday, January 17th. It was great to see families out together having a great time. We are looking forward to hosting a second family skate on April 10th at the Magna Centre. We hope to see you there.

Now that winter is here we would like to take this time to remind you that it is important to have in-door shoes. Please help Mr. Gordon keep our school clean and tidy.

School Celebrations

York Region District School Board

Jan - Feb 2016 Glen Cedar Public School

915 Wayne Dr, Newmarket

Phone: 905-895-1500

Email: glen.cedar.ps@yrdsb.ca

website: www.glencedar.ps.yrdsb.ca

Upcoming Events

February

4 - GR 4/5 class TSO Trip

8-12 - Book Fair

9 - Intermediate Boys

basketball @ Crossland

11 - Intermediate Boys

basketball @ Glen Cedar

12 - Dance-A-Thon

PJ Theme

16 - Report Cards go

Home

16 - GR 2 Sibbalds Point

17 - GR 4 Sibbalds Point

18 - Intermediate Boys

basketball @ Glen Cedar

18 - GR 7 Sibbalds Point

22 - Area Basketball

Intermediate boys

25 - School Council 6:45

pm

26 - Movie Night - The

Princess Bride 6:30 pm

March

1 - JR Chef GR 8 am only

2 - JR Chef GR 4– 6 am

only

14 - 18 - March Break

Going on a Trip????

If you or your family are planning a vaca-

tion please be sure to inform the office in

writing. This is important information for

us to have when completing our safe arri-

val program. As well, if your child is going

to be supervised by or is staying with other

adults while you are away, it is important

that we have that information as well. In

the event of an emergency or illness we

must have your permission to release your

child to another care giver. Thank your for

you cooperation.

.

Indoor Shoes

January

February

2016

Jan - Feb 2016 Page 2

Safety and Snowballs

In order to promote a safe and respectful environment on our school play-

ground, throwing of snowballs is prohibited. Students are aware that snow-

balls my contain pieces of ice, rocks or dirt that can cause injury to others or

damage school property.

Students observed throwing snowballs will be addressed following our pro-

gressive discipline policy. We ask that you please review this with you chil-

dren.

As a result of provincial labour negotiations, a P.A. Day has been added for all York

Region District School Board elementary schools on Friday, May 6, 2016. You

can see the full updated school year calendars on YRDSB’s website.

The additional P.A. Days has been mandated by the Ministry of Education. On May 6th,

teachers will be taking part in professional development on provincial education priori-

ties identified by the Ministry of Education.

Additional Elementary and Secondary P.A.

Page 3 Jan - Feb 2016

School can be a wonderful time in the life of a child. It is a time for learning and for developing friendships. Children

begin to develop lifelong habits and skills. Getting to class on time, and avoiding absences are critical if your child

is to get the most out of school. What can you, as a parent, do to help ensure your child’s regular attendance?

Why does attendance matter ?

Learning occurs daily, right from the start of class. By establishing patterns early on (i.e. by being punctual and re-

sponsible) children acquire positive habits about school attendance.

Some other things to consider

• If children are late arriving to school, they miss important social time with their peers before school begins.

• Students who are late often feel embarrassed or self-conscious arriving to class after instruction has begun.

• Late arrivals disrupt the routine of the classroom.

• A last-minute rush can be stressful for the child, and get him/her to school in the wrong frame of mind.

• Missing even five or ten minutes of the day can make it harder for a student to understand the material being

taught.

• Frequent absenteeism leads to gaps in a child’s skills and knowledge base and can cause the child to fall behind

peers and decrease self-esteem.

• Too many missed school days can increase isolation as the child stands out from his/her classmates and misses

opportunities to develop socially.

Absenteeism makes it tougher for the child to develop a good rapport with staff.

TIPS FOR BEING ON TIME

The morning can be a very hectic time. Here are some effective tips for getting your child up and out the door on

time.

• Get your child to bed at a reasonable hour.

• Set realistic and consistent schedules and rules at home. Getting ready for school should be part of the child’s

overall routine; something that’s expected of him/her every day.

• Do whatever is necessary the night before to save time in the morning, such as setting out clothes, packing

lunches, and setting backpacks at the door.

• Create a set morning routine that your child can easily follow (i.e. washing hands and face, going to the bathroom,

dressing, making the bed, brushing teeth, and eating a healthy breakfast).

• Avoid any distractions that can slow your child down, like TV or games.

• Set your alarm to get up earlier if you’re running late regularly.

HOW SICK IS SICK?

Children do get sick. They are still developing natural resistance to certain infections, their hygiene behaviours are

not fully developed yet and germs spread. Some missed school is unavoidable for your child’s own well-being and

the protection of classmates.

There are ways to cut down on sick days:

• Teach your child about proper hand washing after going to the bathroom, playing outside or wiping his/her nose.

• Follow other healthy habits, from eating nutritious food to getting enough sleep.

• Some symptoms make school attendance uncomfortable, like a fever, vomiting or diarrhea. If you’re unsure

whether your child is sick enough to miss school, talk to your doctor.

• Some children pretend to be sick to avoid school. Ask yourself if the child’s symptoms are vague, (i.e. a head-

ache, upset stomach, fatigue) or if your child tends to instantly recover just after school starts or ends, or if the ill-

ness is happening during stressful times at school or at home. Allowing your child to remain home when there’s no

real illness may start a bad habit.

A Parent’s Guide to Regular School Attendance

Page 4 Jan - Feb 2016

A Parent’s Guide to Regular School Attendance

If you decide to keep your child home, inform the school and keep the child in bed or doing quiet,

low-key activities. A day off from school shouldn’t be a holiday; it should be a time to recuperate

from illness so the child can return as soon as possible.

SET THE RIGHT EXAMPLE

• Children follow the lead of their parents. If you place importance on regular and prompt school

attendance, so will your child.

• Provide a home environment that encourages learning and curiosity.

• Treat school hours with respect. If you have to make an appointment for your child, arrange it

before or after school or at the very beginning or end of the day.

• Show interest in your child’s education by asking about the school day, celebrating school suc-

cesses, attending school events, volunteering at school, and communicating with your child’s

teacher. The more you value school, the more your child will.

• If your child resists going to school for no apparent reason, talk to him/her about any possible

problems with the school, teacher or other children. Don’t give in to coaxing or pleading; that cre-

ates a bad precedent.

Parent Resources for Primary Students

Five Tips to Help Your Child with Math

Grades JK-3

1. Counting can be fun and entertaining. Sing counting songs such as “One, Two Buckle My

Shoe”. Your local librarian can recommend fun counting books. Play Hopscotch - it’s a count-

ing game! There are lots of games where you count, such as Snakes and Ladders, Dominoes,

Crazy Eights and Candyland.

2. Computers + math = fun. There are great computer games available for math - ask your li-

brarian or check our your local computer store. Make sure they are “parent approved”.

There are also super websites that have fun math games, such as TVOkids, or do an Internet

search for other sites.

3. Start Easy and Work Up! Once they have got the hang of counting by 1’s, introduce skip

counting, such as counting by 2’s and 5’s.

4. Use household items for counting practice. Practice adding and subtracting with objects found

around your house like spoons or pots and pans. When they’ve become good at these skills, move

on to simple multiplication.

5. Tap into your child's curiosity. Go on a number hunt together and discover places where numbers

are used such as a clock, TV, computer keyboard, calendar, telephones and license plates

Try out these websites;

www.funbrain.com

“Games” for kids at this site included Math Baseball and Fresh Baked Fractions.

http://www.cyanova.com/math/MathStax.htm

Math Stax is a simple (at least it starts out that way!) math game to test multiplication facts. It’s like the

video game Tetris!

http://www.interactivestuff.org/match/maker.phtml?featured=1&id=31

This is a ‘concentration’-type game to identify 2D shapes and colours.

www.coolmath4kids.com

This website provides parents and kids with an amusement park of math, games and more - especially

designed for fun, fun, and FUN!

www.figurethis.org/index.html

Figure this! Family challenge activities for you and your family to complete together.

http:www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/brochure/earlymath/

The Ontario Early Moth Strategy is intended to help children improve their math skills by providing teach-

ers, parents, and students with various resources.

Page 5 Jan - Feb 2016

Parent Resources for Primary Students

Lost & Found

March 7th - 11th, the week before March Break we will have all

items from the lost and found on display in the front hall. Please

come and take a look to see if anything belongs to your child(ren).

Any unclaimed items will be donated to charity.

To ensure the safety of students, school bus service may be cancelled due to inclement weather, extreme temperatures and/or poor road conditions. In these cases, parents and students should develop alternate care/transportation arrangements.

Since some busing schedules begin by 7:00 a.m., cancellation decisions must be made by 6:00 a.m. to allow time to communicate this message to bus drivers. Cancellation decisions will only be made after thorough consultation with the Safety Officers of school bus companies servicing York Region and are based on sev-eral factors including precipitation, air temperature, road conditions and weather forecast.

Please note the following;

A decision to cancel school bus service will be region-wide meaning all school buses, vans and taxis will

not operate.

When bus service is cancelled all school tests and/or examinations will be cancelled and rescheduled.

Student trips involving the use of school buses will also be cancelled.

School bus routes may be cancelled when severe weather may not be affecting all municipalities in York Region. Both the YRDSB and YCDSB operate many regional educational programs. Students at-tending these programs are transported over large attendance areas encompassing several municipal boundaries. This limits the ability to cancel bus service using a municipality or zone methodology.

Unless otherwise stated, schools will remain open and parents can make arrangements to transport their chil-dren to and from school even if school bus service is cancelled. If buses are cancelled in the morning, they will not operate in the afternoon. Therefore students transported to school by parents will require

the same transportation home.

Parents, students and school staff are asked to access the following radio and television stations after 6:00 a.m. to receive bus cancellation information:

RADIO

590 AM 640 AM 680 AM 860 AM 1010 AM 1050 AM

1540 AM 1580 AM 88.5 FM 89.9 FM 92.5 FM 93.1 FM

94.9 FM 95.9 FM 97.3 FM 98.1 FM 99.1 FM 99.9 FM

101.1 FM 102.1 FM 104.5 FM 100.7 FM 105.9 107.1 FM

TELEVISION

CITY TV CTV Barrie CTV Toronto CP24 GLOBAL NEWS

A bus cancellation message will also be available at www.schoolbuscity.com and by calling

1-877-330-3001, or by following the YRDSB and YCDSB on twitter.

School Bus Cancellation Notice