Respect * Responsibility * Reaching for Excellence

* Tecumseth South Times * December 2014 Issue #4 Principal: H. Warwick* Phone: 905-936-3711 Respect * Responsibility * Reaching for Excellence

WE COMMIT TO EMPATHY “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling wih the heart of another.” ― Alfred Adler

Updates Nov. 5th – Photo Retakes were taken. The proofs should arrive in approximately 2 weeks. Nov. 5th – Our Gr. 8’s went to the high school for a Grade 9 orientation Nov. 7th – Progress Reports went home. Please remember to sign and return the envelope & tear off. Nov. 10th – Author Sigmund Brouwer presented to our whole school Nov. 10th – 28th – Gift Card Program fundraiser Nov. 11th – The school and some of our community marked Remembrance Day with a poignant assembly. Nov. 12th – Grade 2 & 3 students went to the Simcoe County Museum Nov. 13th – Pizza and Chocolate Chip Fun Lunch Day Nov. 13th – 23rd – School Council’s Miko fundraising initiative Nov. 21st – Citrus arrives - Thank you to all those who purchased delicious citrus. Nov. 21st – Int. Boys’ Volleyball – evening tournament at Bradford District High School Nov. 26th – Int. Girls’ & Boys’ tournaments Nov. 28th – Combined Monthly Assembly

Important Dates Dec. 1st – 6:30 – School Council meeting in Library Dec. 2nd – Int. Girls’ and Boys’ tournaments at Fieldcrest & Tec. Beeton respectively Dec. 5th – Milk & Popcorn orders are due! Dec. 8th – Spirit Day – Decorate Your Classroom Door Contest Dec. 10th – Int. Girls’ County Tournaments Dec. 17th – 6:30 – Winter Concert, 11:30 – Dress Rehearsal Dec. 19th – 9:30 TO 10:15 AM (Approximate time frame) – December Assembly Dec. 19th – Donations for Christmas Basket Program Dec. 19th – Last day of school - Have a safe and happy holiday with loved ones and friends. Jan. 5th – Students return to school – Welcome back!

Gotcha Winners The following students were caught doing good things and were subsequently drawn to receive a prize from the Gotcha box: Lorne P., Bianca I., Caleb Q., Lorin S., Ryder S., Lorin S., Hailee H. and Mary R. Empathy Month – Christmas Basket Program Traditionally we have shown a tremendous amount of support to those in our community who need a hand up. Let’s keep this tradition going. This year you can choose to donate with our annual toy, food or toiletry drive. You can also donate winter hats and mittens for our Tree of Warmth. Please bring in your donations December 1st to 18th so that we can donate them on December 19th before we break for the holidays. Thank you so much for making someone else’s holiday brighter. Winter Concert This year we will be celebrating the season with our Winter Concert. Join us on Wednesday, December 17th at 6:30 PM in our school gym. All of our classes will be sharing festivities of the season. We will be hosting a dress rehearsal on the Wednesday beginning at 11:30 AM if it is more convenient for you to join us through the day. December Assembly Our December Assembly will be held Friday, December 19th at 9:30 AM. As our school will have shared many performances during our Winter Concert we will be simplifying the December Assembly. Please join us for carol singing and character recognition of our junior and intermediate students. This will be the last opportunity to bring in items for our Christmas Basket Program. Our School Sign A great big thank you goes out to all those who have volunteered to change the message on the sign to keep it current for our school community. We send out a special thank you to Mrs. Munro who has changed the message numerous times recently. Ink & Toner Cartridge Recycling An ongoing environmental initiative: Please send in any used ink & toner cartridges to the office. In cooperation with Staples they will be sent to a North American recycling facility in an effort to help our environment. Lost & Found Have you checked or had your children check out our Lost & Found for any items that may belong to them. Most items will be on display on a table outside the library in time for our Winter Concert. Any unclaimed items will be donated to charity.

Kindergarten Registration starts soon Do you (or someone you know) have a child who was born in 2011? If so, it’s almost time to register them for Kindergarten in the SCDSB! Beginning on January 26, 2015, Simcoe County’s public schools will be registering children for Kindergarten for the 2015-16 school year. Required registration documents include birthdate documentation, proof of address and record of immunization. For more information, visit www.scdsb.on.ca/kindergarten.

Leadership Team Update Our Leadership Ambassadors have been busy since early October promoting school spirit and character in our building. At our first meeting we decided to ask the school community to support a Thanksgiving Food Drive. The Ambassadors created a mural to promote the cause and made daily announcements encouraging the student body to bring in one item of non-perishable food to be donated to the Tottenham Food Bank. Your generosity was overwhelming! We surpassed our goal and to thank the students for their efforts, Mrs. Warwick spent the day dressed as Oscar the Grouch. Thank you all!

After the Thanksgiving Food Drive some of the Leadership Ambassadors spent many recesses out at the front of the school tidying the gardens and preparing them for the winter. Have a look at their handiwork the next time you stop by! After our Remembrance Day Assembly, the gardening Ambassadors returned to the front garden to plant tulip bulbs in celebration of peace, harmony and understanding. Look for the beautiful pink flowers in the spring!

To celebrate Hallowe'en the Leadership Ambassadors created a spooky haunted house in the girl's change room. It is hard to say which more fun, the preparation itself, or inviting all of the classes to visit!

Another function of the Leadership Ambassadors has been to promote character education in the school; twice a week the morning announcements offer the students food for thought with regard to the character focus of the month. We have had the first of our Spirit Days, Movember Moustache Day and have several more in the works.

If you attended our month-end assembly last Friday, you will have seen some of our Leadership Ambassadors in action: they may have greeted you at the front door, welcomed you to the gym or acted as the master of ceremonies. December will bring classroom door decorating…start thinking of some great ways your class could celebrate the season. Leadership Ambassadors, you are helping to make Tec. South a great place to be! Thank you! Weaving Workshops The Weaving Workshop has just finished its second week of meetings, with some students finishing their first project, a bookmark, as an experimental effort and introduction to the craft. The Workshop has seemed to fill a niche within the school, with a surprising turnout of roughly forty-five students on the first day. After a busy first meeting, primary and junior students started meeting on separate days about twice a week. Now that students have a few hours of practice under their belt, our meetings have turned into relaxing sessions that allow for quiet practice and table conversation as students work alongside one another. As students become more proficient, Weaving Workshop will likewise progress to include more difficult weaving patterns, incorporate beading, tassels and other decorative elements.

Although weaving can be effortlessly intertwined with math, language, social studies and visual arts, Weaving Workshop works best when allowing students to build confidence while learning a new skill. The most noticeable aspect of the process is the meditative quality; not only does weaving help develop fine motor skills and strengthen hand-eye coordination, weaving promotes a relaxing and tactile experience. Once a student has mastered the learning curve, they are able to become very independent while working.

Admittedly, the response has been overwhelming. No one could have guessed a hobby-type workshop could be so well received and continue to be popular as more students wish to join. As Christmas break draws nearer, students will have the opportunity to create a holiday themed artwork and will be taking their looms home.

Weaving Workshop is made possible through the efforts of Ms. Wilkins, a student teacher from Lakehead University who is working alongside Mrs. Kennedy.

Thank-you! Mrs. Kennedy and Ms. Wilkins

School Council Initiatives Canadian Tire Money This is an ongoing fundraiser so if you have any Canadian Tire Money floating around that you would like to donate please bring it in to the office. These funds go to purchase equipment for students to play with outdoors.

Intermediate Boys’ Volleyball Congratulations to our Intermediate Boys’ Volleyball team on your sportsmanship and teamwork to make it all the way to Area finals at Ernest Cumberland. We are very proud of your determination and grit. This team was consistently complimented on the manner with which they conducted themselves and played to within two points of first place. Thank you also to Coach Ripley and our parent drivers. Without them the team would not be possible. Team members were Justin, James, Dalton, Aaron, Sam, Chris, Mika, Daniel, Chayse, Cooper, Davis, Tyler, Anthony and Connor.

Intermediate Girls’ Basketball The Intermediate Girls’ Basketball team had a fabulous day at the Zone Tournament on Wednesday, November 26th. They won two of the three games played in the morning at Tecumseth South. In the afternoon, they played in the finals at Tec Beeton, winning the semi-final and final championship game! The girls worked very hard, persevered and came out on top!

On December 2nd, the girls went to the Area Championship held at Fieldcrest. The girls won the first game played against W.H. Day and continued on to the final championship game against Earl Rowe. The girls demonstrated skill and heart in this final game and became our newest South Simcoe Champions!

The girls continue to practice and are striving for a win at the Simcoe County Championship on Wednesday, December 10th in Midland. Good luck to our spirited team of basketball players: Emily, Katelynn, Mary, Abby, Lorin, Samantha, Brianna, Bryanna, Nayla, Erika, Mackenzie and Rachel. Mrs. Santo and Coach Doc are very proud of how far all the girls have come since they started playing basketball in grade four! Coach Doc admires the amount of work and hours that these girls have dedicated to the sport. According to Coach, “This group of girls is the hardest working team that I have ever coached at Tec South”.

Mrs. Santo and the girls send out a huge thank-you to Coach Doc for volunteering his time and expertise. Coach Doc, you have made a huge difference in the lives of these girls and have helped them to create memories that will last forever. Thank you to Mrs. Santo for all of her effort and support with this outstanding team. Then it Happened to Me Congratulations to Rachel D., Riley N., Juliet C., Quinn H., Anthony S., Tasha S., Olivia M., Jason S., Keziah G., Lily N. and Mayah B. who successfully participated in the “Then it Happened to Me” story writing activity. The entire series of eleven novels is being donated to our library on their behalf as well as each student receiving a signed novel by the authors, M. and L. Wade.

Provide input on proposed 2015-16 school year calendar The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) invites public school communities to submit input regarding the proposed school year calendar for next school year (Sept. 2015 to June 2016). Input can be provided by visiting www.scdsb.on.ca, then clicking the link on the ‘School Year Calendars’ page under the ‘Schools’ menu. All stakeholders including staff, school council members, parents/guardians, students and members of the school community are invited to provide input. Feedback is invited until Jan. 9, 2015 to ensure the SCDSB meets school year calendar development timelines set by the Ministry of Education. French Immersion & Extended French The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) offers French Immersion (FI) and Extended French as a Second Language (EFSL) at select schools throughout the county. FI begins in Grade 1 and EFSL begins in Grade 5. These programs give students a bilingual education and the opportunity to become fluent in another language.

Information sessions will be held in January for parents of Kindergarten and Grade 4 students. A letter will be sent home to those parents with more details. Information session dates are posted online at www.scdsb.on.ca under Programs, French as a Second Language.

To apply for these programs, you must complete the online application form in January at www.scdsb.on.ca under Programs, French as a Second Language. The FI application form will be available from 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 19, until 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. The EFSL application form will be available from 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, until 9 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. While every effort will be made to accommodate all FI applications, available space and staffing will determine how many students can be registered in the program. Applications will be processed in the order they are received electronically.

EFSL is an open access program. This means that any student starting Grade 5 in September 2015 will be eligible for the EFSL program, and all online applications will be processed.

Parents who do not have Internet access at home, or who require other assistance accessing the online application, should contact the school.

EQAO strategic plan survey welcomes feedback from educators, students and parents The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is the organization that measures student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to Ontario Curriculum expectations. They are developing a new Strategic Plan that will guide the agency’s efforts for the next five years. To help EQAO understand how the agency’s work can be most valuable in the years ahead, the organization is asking parents, students, teachers, administrators, trustees, school board employees, and members of the public to complete the following survey: http://eqao.fluidsurveys.com/s/EQAOStrategicPlan/.

Register now for Beginner Driver Ed classes over the holiday December 27 is the start of the holiday session of the Beginner Driver Education program at Learning Centres in Alliston, Collingwood, Midland, and Orillia. Register today to reserve a space for this weekend course, which runs from Dec. 27 to Jan. 4. The cost is $600 plus HST.

The Driver Education program, for teens and adults who currently have their G1, includes 20 hours of in- class instruction, 10 hours of independent work and 10 hours of individual in-car instruction. The program meets all Ministry of Transportation requirements and is a Ministry Approved Course Provider.

Visit The Learning Centres’ website (www.thelearningcentres.com – click on ‘High School Student’, then ‘Beginner Driver Education’) for more information, registration forms, and Frequently Asked Questions. To register, print and complete the registration form, and take the completed form to your local Learning Centre. Call 705-725-8360 for more information.

Circle of Learning Parent Academy Free workshops to help you boost your child’s success As a parent/guardian, you were your child’s first teacher and you are still his or her most important teacher. Your involvement in your child’s education has an impact on success. Register to attend workshops throughout the year designed to help you support your child’s learning and development. Sessions include:

 Successful transitions – how parents can guide their children to achieve their full potential  Make the difference in math with a growth mindset

 Math 101 - all parents can support their children in math

 Resilience: Nine things kids need from their families, schools, and communities

Find workshop dates, times, descriptions and register online at www.scdsb.on.ca/circleoflearning.

The Circle of Learning Parent Academy is hosted by the Simcoe County District School Board’s Parent Involvement Committee and made possible with the support of the Ministry of Education through a Parents Reaching Out Grant.

Information Nights for Grade 8 students Is your child starting Grade 9 next year? High school information nights happen this winter! Information nights give an overview of what’s new and what to expect, and are a chance to ask questions.

High school is an exciting time—there are so many programs, clubs and activities for students to try. Attend the information night at Banting Memorial High School. Please check the schedule on SCDSB’s website here: www.scdsb.on.ca/highschool to find out what’s offered at your local high school.

The Ontario College of Teachers – what do they do? Visit the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) website at http://www.oct.ca/ for tools and resources specifically designed for parents. Search the online registry to learn more about your child's teacher and qualifications, read the e-newsletter for parents and much more.

School Preventative Dental Clinics – FREE

The Oral Health team of the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit was at your school recently. Check your child’s backpack or agenda!

A purple consent form was sent home with children who would greatly benefit from dental preventive services.

Please complete and return the consent form to the Health Unit by mail (postage paid envelope was attached) or fax. These services will be completed in the New Year.

Should you have any questions, or require further information, call 705-721-7520, ext. 8804, or toll free 1-877-721-7520.

Bradford Progress Childcare Centres Before and After School Program – 905-778-8377 www.bradfordprogresschildcare.ca OR www.scdsb.on.ca Hours – Monday to Friday – 6:30 AM to 9:10 AM & 3:30 PM to 6 PM Fees – Before & After $18.50, Before Only $9.25, After Only $13.50 Please contact Laura Swagerman (site supervisor) at 905-965-9896 for further information or pick up an information package from the office. There is now limited space available here for children in Kindergarten to grade 6. Have your say about the Simcoe County District School Board’s mission, vision and values The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) is renewing its mission, vision and values. Your input is needed. Feedback is being gathered through a short survey. Find more information and the survey here: www.scdsb.on.ca/mission. The deadline to respond to the survey is November 12. We appreciate you taking the time to share your views. Please also share this information with others who may be interested. Circle of Learning Parent Academy - Free workshops to help you boost your child’s success As a parent/guardian, you were your child’s first teacher and you are still his or her most important teacher. Your involvement in your child’s education has an impact on success. Register to attend workshops throughout the year designed to help you support your child’s learning and development.

Sessions include:

 Successful transitions – how parents can guide their children to achieve their full potential

 Make the difference in math with a growth mindset

 Math 101 - all parents can support their children in math

 Resilience: Nine things kids need from their families, schools, and communities

Find workshop dates, times, descriptions and register online at www.scdsb.on.ca/circleoflearning.

The Circle of Learning Parent Academy is hosted by the Simcoe County District School Board’s Parent Involvement Committee and made possible with the support of the Ministry of Education through a Parents Reaching Out Grant.

Bus cancellation information in case of inclement weather Although fall has recently arrived, winter is just around the corner in Simcoe County. With it comes the possibility of severe weather, challenging winter driving conditions and, as a result, possible bus and school event cancellations.

All information regarding cancelled buses in Simcoe County is posted on the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium’s bus information website at www.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca. Our school is in the South zone. When buses are cancelled, please remember that schools are still open (unless otherwise noted) for student learning.

The Consortium, in conjunction with bus operators, will make the decision to cancel school buses before 6 a.m. and as such, will make every effort to post announcements between 6 and 7 a.m. Parents should also note that inclement weather cancellations are effective for the whole day and buses cancelled in the morning will not run at the end of the day.

You can also subscribe to receive bus delay notifications here: https://scstc.ca/Subscriptions and you can follow the Consortium on Twitter @SCSTC_SchoolBus. Hard Copies of the Newsletter If you wish to receive a hard copy of the newsletter you must notify the office in writing. Newsletters are now posted on our website in an effort to keep our planet green.