NOVEMBER, 2014 The Unionville Voice

300 Main Street| Unionville, | L3R212

Website: www.yrdsb.ca/schools/unionville.ps

Email: unionville.ps.ca

A Message from the Administrative Team

It has been a busy fall here at Unionville Public School. As a school, we have been in-

volved in a variety of activities including International Walk to School Day, the Terry  PRINCIPAL Fox Run and the grade 6-8 trip to Camp Muskoka. Classes have enjoyed field trips Helen Hart including a four day immersion into Pioneer life, swimming lessons and a visit to  VICE-PRINCIPAL St. Lawrence Market. Students in grades 6-8 will be exploring a section of downtown Shelley Jones Toronto with an emphasis on media on November 4th, and our students in grades 2, 4

 SUPERINTENDENT and 7 will be attending Milne outdoor center this month. In classes, students are hard Dan Wu at work on their grade level curricular expectations working individually or in small groups to go deeper with their knowledge and understanding of a topic, apply this  TRUSTEE understanding and use this knowledge to analyze and evaluate information. Ada Yeung On November 12th, Unionville students will bring home their Progress Report Cards.

Progress Reports are an opportunity for teachers to share the development of learning skills and work habits as well as general progress in the subject areas with families, to

I N S I D E date. It gives families, teachers and students the opportunity to review their progress THIS ISSUE: so far and to set goals for growth to ensure a successful term. Final marks for all sub- ject areas will be recorded on the Term 1 Report Card which will go home February Remembrance 2 th Day Assembly 19 . This year, all of our classes from SK to grade 8 will participate in Parent Teacher Interviews on the evening of Thursday, November 13th and the morning of Friday, Bike Safety 3 November 14th. Parent Teacher Interviews are one of the ways for you to participate in partnering with Walk to School 4 your child’s teacher to support their learning. Before the interview, you may wish to Day review the progress report card and talk to your child about their learning experiences Terry Fox Run 4 so far this year. Please see a Tips Sheet for Parent Teacher Interviews included in this newsletter. Parents and guardians of JK students will be invited to their child’s class- Student News 5 room for a classroom observation. These observations will take place later in 6 November. 7 We look forward to your involvement in this process and know that you will take the Parent Teacher 8 opportunity to recognize and celebrate your child’s positive accomplishments from the Interview Tip Sheet first couple of months and help your child to set goals for the remainder of the term.

Calendar 10 Helen Hart Shelley Jones Principal Vice Principal P A G E 2

Remembrance Day Assembly

Unionville Public School will be holding an assembly in honour of Remembrance Day on Tuesday, November 11th. Parents and family members are welcome to attend this ceremony. The assembly will take place in the gymnasium at 9:45 a.m. Also, UPS will have two student representatives presenting a wreath during the outdoor ceremony in front of Crosby Arena at the cenotaph. The outdoor procession will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the bandstand on . Parents are welcome to attend this ceremony.

UPS Poster Sale Thank you to everyone who supported our Fundraising efforts in support of pur- chasing the video component of the new sound system in the gymnasium through the purchase of the 2013-2014 poster. If you did not get a copy of this poster made by the students themselves or if you would like to buy another copy for a family member, now is your chance! They will be available for $10/poster until December 15, 2014 and will be sold at upcoming school events or through the school’s office.

Save the Date – January 27

On the evening of Tuesday, January 27, 2015, Shyamala Kiru will be at Unionville Public School to speak with families about Fostering Confidence in your Children. Shyamala is a dynamic and accomplished presenter with a style that is both engaging and informative. Mark your calendars so that you will be able to join us

THE UNIONVILLE VOICE P A G E 3 Bicycle Safety

On Wednesday, Oct. 15, students participated in a fun and interac- tive session learning about helmet and bike safety. Pedalheads, an organization that delivers programs that promote kids’ health and development, lead these sessions which were brought to the school as part of Active and Safe Routes to School in partnership with the City of Markham. There were lots of smiles as the students partici- pated in a variety of challenging bike activities. Thanks to all the parent volunteers who came out to help and support this event. Biking is a great active way to get to and from school, so please encourage your kids to continue to use this form of transportation!

Help to Keep our UPS Grounds Healthy! Winter is just around the corner and our gardens and planters need a little TLC! You can get involved by lending a hand. The gardens need some edging, weeding and deadheading before the cold weather sets in. Our school also has three very large planters by the main school entrance that need to be redone for the winter season ahead. All of our gardens are cared for by volunteers. If you're interested in lending a hand, please contact Suzanne Fearn at [email protected]. Thanks for helping to keep the school grounds beautiful and healthy!

Community Outreach The goal of COMMUNITY OUTREACH at UPS is to allow staff, students and families to contribute and support our community whether locally or globally and reflect on how fortunate we are. We hope to encourage students to become active, global citizens and understand their roles as leaders through par- ticipation in local events.

This year we will have multiple opportunities to ‘reach our community’ and become leaders. Here are highlights for the first 3 months of the year: September: students participated in by submitting original pieces of work. November: two students from UPS will participate in the Unionville outdoor Remembrance Day procession and place a wreath at the cenotaph. We will also launch our first fundraiser with JUMPSTART – look for more information to come home shortly! We look forward to a very active year – working together to help others and raise our own awareness about the needs in our community and beyond. THE UNIONVILLE VOICE P A G E 4

International Walk to School Day – October 8

Thanks for a successful International Walk to School Day !

On Wednesday, October 8, Unionville Public School’s staff, students and families came out to celebrate International Walk to School Day! The , Public Health Nurses and representatives from Regional Municipality of York, including the Mayor came out with great enthusiasm.

International Walk to School Day is an event that is celebrated across Canada and this year, we partnered with The Regional Municipality of York and York Regional Police to promote safety and the importance of active travel for the trip to/from school.

Despite the weather starting to get colder, please try and continue to walk, bike or be active on your travels to and from school. For those of you who live farther away from the school, park a block or two away and “walk a block” to school, but en- sure you are parked in a legal parking area. Remember to walk with your child or have your child walk with other students and use the sidewalks and pathways. If possible, cross the street where crossing guards are available. Please ensure that your child/children are dressed for the weather. If your child(ren) children are eligible for school bussing, they are encouraged to use the bus service, because taking the bus is a sustainable form of travel.

We hope that you saw the photo of some of the smiling faces from this event that appeared in Thursday, October 9, Economist and Sun. Thanks to everyone who was active getting to school and supported this “Active and Safe Routes to School” event.

It was great to see all the students and families out and being active! P A G E 5 Student News Spirit Day The Student Parliament ran a successful Wacky Hair Day for our last spirit day. The class with the most participants was Mrs. Hoffman’s class who won the spirit cup! They had the honour of picking the next spirit day and they decided upon Superhero Day. Stay tuned for the date in November. Students are re- minded that they can also create their own superhero, as well as dressing up as well known ones. Peace Tree Conference Mrs. Cooper took three grade 5s and three grade 6s to this year’s Peace Tree Conference, which focuses on inclusivity and anti-bullying. The conference was very well received and the students developed an action plan, which they will be implementing at UPS. VIP Program The grade 6s are currently participating in the York Region Police’s VIP (Values, Influences and Peers) Program. Officer Jen from YRP has been running the session with our students to educate them about some of the challenges they may face with respect to values and rules, peer pressure, authority figures, alcohol, tobacco and drugs, internet safety, and youth and the law. Roots of Empathy Roots of Empathy began last week for the grades 4-5. We would like to extend a warm welcome to Baby Brynn and her Mom, who will be visiting Ms. Nichols’ and Mrs. Cooper’s class, Baby Liam and his Mom, who will be visiting Mr. Farber’s class and Baby Benjamin and his Mom, who will be visiting Ms. Haidari’s class. Roots of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom program that has shown significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among school children while raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy. Regional Cross Country The UPS cross-country team finished the season strong with great races at the Area and Regional champion- ships. At the Areas on September 29 at Milliken Mills Park, UPS runners from grade 3 to 8 used their training to do their best and represented our school well! The Tyke Boys and Girls teams (grade 3-4) and Atom Boys team (grade 5) all came 2nd in the Area, and the Junior Girls team (grade 6) came 3rd! Our junior division (grades 3-6) came in 3rd place overall as a division! 28 Bulldog runners qualified for the Regionals, which took place October 10 at Bruce’s Mill. Mme. Lisi and Ms. Leung would like to congratulate all the UPS runners for all of their hard work this season. Though our mornings were sometimes cold and wet, you all persevered, and encouraged each other along the way! Special thank you to all the volunteers who helped supervise and cheer on our runners at early 8:00 a.m. practices. Intermediate Volleyball The Intermediate girls and boys volleyball teams have been formed and are busy practising. The Area tournament for the Boys in on November 25, 2014 at Markville Secondary School and the Girls is on November 28, 2014 at Bill Crothers Secondary School. Mr. Copsey and Mr. Venditti are coaching both teams.

THE UNIONVILLE VOICE

THE UNIONVILLE VOICE

Dove Day! By Katie C. Did you know that for all these years all ads are tricking us? Today was Dove Day. The Dove workshop for body confidence teaches you to be happy with the way you are and not change yourself to be like someone else. They told us all about what ads do to make people buy their product. In real ads they try and change the way you look to make you look stronger, prettier etc. First, what they do is put makeup and change your hairstyle and more. Then they take your picture, but that’s not all. What they do next really surprised me. They edit the picture on the computer like make your eyes bigger, smile nicer and way more. That is what the Dove workshop teaches you about, I wonder why they edit the way you look to make you look better, when you look perfect just the way you are. It’s really strange that if they are allowed to do that. That is just plain lying and false advertising. It’s weird that they can just go on the computer and change the way people look. Well, I guess now with so much technology you can do almost anything. Lots of people should be able to connect to this lesson that the Dove workshop teaches you about. I can. One time when I was eight, I always wanted be more like my friends, and have the same stuff as them. It made me feel really bad about myself, but now I just think about then and think why I did that. It was so silly! I hope everyone will learn how to be happy with themselves, just the way they are!

Terry Fox Run! Walk! Roll! A big thank-you to UPS for raising over $4,500 for the Terry Fox Foundation. A representative came to collect the money at an assembly where we were also presented with a banner for our 20th year of participation.

Eco-Camp – October 8-10, 2014 The students who attended Eco-Camp came back to school with many positive ideas and initiatives as we prepare to upgrade out Eco-School Certification. Eco-Camp is an environmental leadership camp and the students had a chance to network with students and teachers from 15 other schools across York Region.

The Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program with support from the Canadian Safe School Network, | the Huddle Up Program continues to inspire youth and empower them to take action towards bullying preven- tion in their schools. Huddle Up sees Toronto Argonaut Players, Cheerleaders, and program staff, working together to powerfully support and covey our bullying prevention messages for both targets and bystanders. The Huddle Up Bullying Prevention program is comprised of three core components:  Leadership Committee Meeting (November)  Player Assembly (February)  Student Summit (Spring) The committee will be selected from grades 4-8 with two students from each grade. There will be a follow up assembly in February. THE UNIONVILLE VOICE

Roots of Empathy By Katie C. and Marissa W. (Mrs. Haidari Grade 4) Roots of Empathy is a program to teach kids about empathy through watching a baby and how they grow up. What happens is a mom from a family brings her baby about 3 to 4 months old, and we get to see the baby grows up over the school year. Our baby’s name is Benjamin and his mom is Ady. Our baby is 3 months old. Today our baby Benjamin came to our classroom for a visit. When the baby and mom come in we sing a welcome song. Then every other week we see what the baby can do and not do. Every time the baby should be able to do one new thing, or improve on something. We get to watch the baby for about an hour every week. When the baby leaves we sing a goodbye song to him and the mother. Roots of Empathy is a fun program for kids to learn about how others feel (empathy). Roots of Empathy is visiting with Mr. Farber, Mrs. Nichols/Mrs. Cooper and Mrs. Haidari’s classes.

Bully Prevention Week

November 16- 22 is National Bully Prevention and Awareness Week. While Unionville Public School engages in bullying awareness and prevention every week of the school year, we recognize this week as a valuable opportunity to raise awareness for students, parents and the local community. Everyone has a role to play in bullying prevention.

In the Be Bold: Stop Bullying National Campaign, Facebook Canada in partnership with organiza- tions including Family Channel, PREVNet, and Kids Help Phone and STOPcyberbullying.org. is asking users to take a stand against bullying. The online campaign asks youth, parents and educators to take a pledge against bullying, share stories about their own experience with bullies and encourages Facebook users to start their own bullying-prevention groups. Below is the Be Bold: Stop Bullying Pledge that you can talk about with your children.

Be Bold: Stop Bullying Pledge Bullying makes every day hard. It makes people feel isolated, unimportant and afraid to go to school. I have the power to stop bullying by getting involved in a few specific ways. Here is my pledge: I will speak up: I will take a stand when I see young people humiliating or hurting each other. I will talk about bullying with my friends and the adults in my life, so everyone knows I think it's wrong. I will advocate: I will stick up for others who might be in need of my help, and not just my closest friends. I will be a role model I will not use my phone or computer to spread rumors or say hateful things, and I won't ignore it when others are cruel and intimidating. Stopping bullying begins with me. Taking this pledge can change someone's life in a meaningful way. I will forward it to my friends and family to help grow a community committed to ending bullying. I will speak up.

THE UNIONVILLE VOICE

November 2014

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

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2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Grades 6-8: Grade 6: VIP Girls Volleyball Toronto Trip Grade 8: Mark- at Berczy PS ville Trip 4:00 pm

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Remembrance Report Cards Grade 7: PA Day: Day Assembly go home Milne Outdoor No School 9:30 am Centre- Parent Parent Evening Interviews Interviews

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Grade 4: Milne Grade 7: Milne Boys Volleyball Outdoor Centre Outdoor Centre at Castlemore School Council PS, 4:00 pm 7:30 November 16-22 is Bully Prevention Week

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Grades 7-8: Boys Area Photo Retake Girl’s Area Immunizations Volleyball UPS Music Volleyball Tour- Tournament at Festival nament at Bill Markville SS Crothers SS

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