April Newsletter

WILLIAMS PARKWAY SENIOR PUBLIC SCHOOL 1285 Williams Parkway, Brampton, ON L6S 3J8 Tel: (905) 791-4324 Fax: (905) 791-8861

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The following students received Chapters gift cards for the effort they put into their Counting On You program, and their regular attendance: Roget Morgan Daniel Panke Mubarak Oseni Jasmeet Rai Sanah Sediqui Yusra Mukhtar Term 3 begins on Tuesday march 24 and ends on Thursday May 14. Thanks, Amanda, Laurie Laurie Onizuka, Grade 8 Team

As part of our Education Week initiatives, Williams Parkway is hosting our first ever USED BATTERY DRIVE. It is hazardous to the environment to dispose of old batteries with your household garbage. If you have any used batteries please send them to school with your child or drop them off to Mr. Metelnick in room 105. The Used Battery Drive runs until Friday, April 24, 2009.

Principal: Mr. D. White Vice-Principal: Mrs. T. Morrison Guidance Counsellor: Ms L. Romaniello Head Secretary: Mrs. A. Stephenson Asst. Secretary: Mrs. M. Domingues Asst. Secretary: Ms M. Byrne School Trustee: Mrs. B. Ford Superintendent of Schools: Ms S. Teal

In this issue!

Drama Club 2

Education Week(s) 2

Relay for Life 3

Earth Day 3

Local Heroes sought 3

Keep children safe 4

Reading as a Family 4

Settlement Services Information

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Celebrating Faith and Culture 7

Panther Lunch 7

April Calendar 8

Learning Skill of the Month: Fairness Character Education Theme: Initiative

April 2009

The grade 6 classes will be going to the Museum of Flight and Aviation in

Hamilton on April 1st. This will be a full day trip and ties in nicely with the Science curriculum topic of Flight. The cost of the trip is $16, but those students who had already paid $10 for the tubing trip to Mount Chinguacousy which was cancelled due to lack of snow, need only pay the difference of $6. This promises to be an educational, enjoyable and worthwhile trip. Grade 8 students are encouraged to return their permission forms and $25 fee, for the Mandarin graduation Luncheon to be held in June. Term 3 is well underway now!! Students are reminded to hand in all overdue art assignments. On a side note: String art projects will be started soon! Their picture starters, portraits and perspective drawings have been assigned for Term 3 so far. Be sure you have submitted yours when it is completed to receive a mark.


Page 2 Abelard McInnes wouldn’t know a vampire if it came up and bit him. Fortunately his niece Madeline is there to assist him. Also visiting the village is Melisande, Melisande the Sorceress, Melisande the Terrible, Melisande the Handmaid of Darkness. Melisande has a plan to rule the world by linking her magical power with the power of a vampire. Georgette is Melisande's assistant, however, she isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. At least her heart is in the right place. Problems start when Robert confesses his love to Evangeline. She rejects him knowing that love between them could never be. Angry and disappointed, Robert vows to destroy Evangeline. Meanwhile, Zoe has asked Melisande to cast a spell to make Robert love her. And if that wasn't quite enough, there is also a bratty little girl with a fondness for mud pies, a talking cat, and a village that has turned night into day for their beloved Evange-line. Performances of Once upon a Midnight will take place during the day on May 5th, 6th and 7th for Williams Parkway students and for Grade 4 and 5 students from Massey, Hilldale and Hanover. An evening performance will take place on Thursday, May 7th at 7:00 PM. Tickets for this performance are $5.00 each and are available at the door or in advance from the office.

Items Wanted The Williams Parkway Drama Club is looking to beg, borrow or steal a number of items: • wooden barrel • wagon wheel • firewood

The Drama Club will also accept donations of lumber and fabric. If you can donate or loan any of these items please contact Mr. Cooke or just drop them off at the school. Education week(s) at Williams Parkway will take place the weeks of April 14th – April 24th. This year’s theme is “The Smile Within” and Williams Parkway has interpreted this to mean “kindness to our environment” since we can all derive happiness from a cleaner, greener environment which gives us hope for the future. In order to promote this “Smile Within”, a medley of environmentally-related events will be taking place in the school over the course of the two weeks, from our kick-off assemblies, to the class workshops, (courtesy of the Brampton City Clean Programs), to our Community Clean Up on Earth Day, April 22nd during period 1. Our daily routines within the school too will exemplify our focus on the environment. Each homeroom class will be keeping track of their Acts of Green with the goal of reaching 1000 Acts of Green before the 2 weeks are up. We will have a “lights out” incentive every afternoon. Our “used battery drive” has already commenced and will continue. Additionally, with the knowledge that our school produces no fewer than 25 bags of garbage a week from our lunch periods alone, we will be promoting increased

With just over a month to go until our first performance, rehearsals for Once upon a Midnight have moved into high gear. Once upon a Midnight is the story of what happens when an evil sorcer-ess, a not-so-evil vampire, and an inept vampire-hunter meet. Evangeline is not your typical vampire as she has never tasted human blood. In her twelfth year Evangeline was turned by Kasimir the Destroyer, on the very night he was defeated by Lord Alistair. Lord Alistair took pity on Evangeline, forced her to resist the urge to feed, and before he left Windermere had her swear a solemn oath before the assembled villagers to never harm them. A century has passed. None remain of the villagers who witnessed Evangeline's oath, but their children and their children's children have prospered. Evangeline endures, trapped in the body of a young girl. Therein lies the problem, for Evangeline is very beautiful, and the boys of the village often forget that she is a vampire. Once such boy is Robert who has worshipped Evangeline ever since his was little. Then there is Zoe, who has a crush on Robert, but who is too shy to talk to him. Zoe has a friend, Helene, who will do whatever it takes to bring Zoe and Robert together. Visiting Windermere is Abelard McInnes the great-grandson of Lord Alistair. Abelard is a vampire hunter but he's not very good at it. In fact,


Page 3 you to students Simran Uppal, Sky Williams, Jessie Smith, Dijnna Foster, Destiny Empedrad; Savannah Hylton, Nina Mathura, Nikita Dharamdass, Filip Stranik, Arslan Ahmed, and their parents, for going to the trouble of baking all those yummy items to raise money for a good cause and to help raise funds for the event so that fun, and safety, can be assured. Parents and families of the students are invited to the event on May 22nd from 7 pm to 9 pm to join in some fun activities and entertainment, purchase some delicious food, to be part of the Opening Ceremony and Luminary Ceremony, and to hear local celebrities speak. To date we have had responses from Regional Councillor Gael Miles, Trustee Beryl Ford, MP Dr. Ruby Dhalla, and are awaiting a reply from Mayor Susan Fennel. Many previous Williams Parkway students who are now in Mayfield or North Park will be helping out with the event as part of their Volunteer Hours for Secondary students. As well, a number of parents and family members have already generously donated their time and are working tirelessly to ensure this event is a great success. Thank you to Shaila Kibria and Diane Brockie for their roles. Earth Day is April 22 What are you doing to celebrate? Why not go paperless…. Did you know that the average pine tree yields about 9,000 sheets of pa-per? According to Earth Day Canada (EDC), a national environmental charity, if every North American filed their tax return electronically instead of mailing it, 5 billion sheets

of paper would be saved. That's 555,000 trees. This year, EDC is encouraging Canadians to go paperless with it's Save Trees - Not Paper initiative. In partnership with Org-Matters Solutions Inc., producers of organizational and e-filing software, Canadians can access software at discounted prices that enables them to go paperless. To find out more about this initiative, visit Earth Day Canada's website at www.earthday.ca. Local heroes sought for Elmer safety awards In partnership with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Peel Regional Police, the Peel Children’s Safety Village will host the 16th annual Elmer Safety Recognition awards on May 2 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Children from junior kindergarten to grade 8 who have demonstrated heroic behaviour, good citizenship or performed an outstanding safety deed can be nominated. Nominations are now being accepted for children living in Peel region who go beyond expectations to contribute to a safer community. As many as 10 children will receive a trophy and a certificate from Police Chief Michael Metcalf at the ceremony. The deadline for nominations is April 1. If you know a child whom you wish to nominate, please contact Christie Hallett at 905-453-2121, ext. 4071, or [email protected]. Nomination forms can also be found at www.peelsafetyvillage.on.ca.

recycling during lunchtime, in particular, so that we can dramatically reduce this. Classes 825 and 826 will be enhancing the garden out front of the school. Finally, we will be holding an “Education Week Poster Contest” at all grade levels by encouraging all students to submit a drawing which incorporates the theme of “The Smile Within” and “kindness to the environment”, in the hopes of producing a mural for our school, as a lasting memory that will always “keep us smiling”. Planning for Relay is well underway. Many students have already handed in their pledge envelopes with the minimum $50 collected and subsequently have had their names entered in the weekly raffles. We have already raffled off 2 tickets to Silver City Movies, and gift certificates from National Sports. There are many more prizes to be given out, some during the weekly raffles, and others at the Relay event itself. Some examples of these prizes are: more movie tickets; a gift certificate from Chapters, courtesy of our own Mrs. MacDougald; 2 tickets to a show at the Rose Theatre during the summer; shopping sprees at Bramalea City Centre; a basketball and other items from National Sports; Family bowling passes worth $70...and much much more. Some grade 6 students have been holding bake sales during the lunch hour in order to raise more money to add to their team totals to try to qualify for the pizza party which will be given to the registered team which raises the most money. Thank

http://www.earthday.ca/�

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Reading as a family can instil a lifelong love of reading When parents and children read together, they develop an important bond that can lead to a love of reading that lasts a lifetime. Reading aloud together is one of the best ways parents can help a child become a successful reader. Creating a positive experience for your child through reading and learning doesn’t take a lot of effort or time. When you make reading a joyful, fun activity, kids will keep coming back for more. Create reading rituals Start reading together as a family when your child is a baby. Set aside a special time and place to read together. Let your child know that reading is important to you and she can expect to enjoy this time with you on a regular basis. Make connections Children need experience with all kinds of text—from shopping lists to the internet to street signs. Point out different words around you. Help your child connect objects to the words that go with them.

Talk about it When reading or telling a story, pause to discuss it. Ask open-ended questions like “What do you think will happen next?” or “What would you do?” Describe things in your own words to help make the story clearer for your child.

Read it again Children need to hear favourite stories over and over. This helps them recognize and remember words. It also helps them learn how to predict what will happen next. Most importantly, as kids become familiar with a story, it gives them confidence about reading.

Follow your child’s pace Don’t push your child to read beyond his ability. Choose books suited to his age and development, and select books that are interesting to him. Encourage your child’s reading and congratulate him when he learns a new word or masters a new skill.

Keep children safe near storm sewers and waterways Rising, fast moving water in lakes, ponds and creeks is a common occurrence in spring. Children playing near storm sewers and watercourses, entering storm sewers through the outfalls, and entering storm sewers through access covers is dangerous. The City of Brampton has provided the following information to help keep children safe: • water flows in storm sewers and watercourses are unpredictable and may change quickly • toxic gases may be present in and around storm sewers and watercourses • access is restricted, making rescue attempts difficult • tragic falls could take place Parents are encouraged to review this information with their children and let them know how dangerous storms sewers and waterways are.


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If you would like settlement service, please contact Mr. Haadi Nanjiani at 905-791-4324 ext. 103


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Celebrating Faith and Culture - April 2009

MONDAY - Patties - $1.00 Samosas - $.50 TUESDAY - Pizza - $2.00 per slice WEDNESDAY- Pogos $1.25 THURSDAY - Pizza - $2.00 per slice FRIDAY - Hot Dogs - $1.00 Pizza Pockets - $1.00 EVERY DAY Popcorn - $2.00 per bag

DATE

CELEBRATION FAITH AND CULTURE

April Mmaal Aboriginal Spirituality

April 3 Ramanavmi Hinduism

April 5 or 12 Palm Sunday Christianity

April 7 Mahavira-jayanti Jainism

April 8 Farvardingan Zoroastrianism

April 9 or 16 Holy or Maundy Thursday Christianity

Sunset of April 8 to 16 Pesach (Passover) Judaism

April 9 to 27 the month of Jalál Bahá'í April 10 or 17 Good or Holy Friday Christianity and Canada

April 13 to April 17 Holy Week begins Christianity

April 13 and 14 Saka New Year Buddhism and Hinduism

April 13 or 14 Vaisakhi or Baisakhi Hinduism and Sikhism

April 12 or 19 Easter or Pascha Christianity

Sunset of April 20 to May 2 Ridvan Bahá'í

April 13 or 20 Easter Monday Christianity and Canada

April 21 Yom HaShoah Judaism

April 25 or 26 Zarathosht-no-Diso Zoroastrianism

April 27 Akshaya-tritiya Jainism

April 28 to May 17 the month of Jamál Bahá'í

April 30 to May 4 Ghambar Maidyozarem Zoroastrianism