Lisa Miller-Wood

40 Ross Drive Brampton, ON L6R 3S7 Principal:t 905.796.4563 September 2017 Lisa Miller-Wood Welcome back Ross Drive Families. Vice-Principal: We have a new beginning; new teachers, new classmates, new lessons. It is a fresh Norma Dwyer start. Our teachers are beyond excited to welcome your child into their classrooms. Office Manager: We would like to welcome you as well. Parent involvement is key to your child’s Catherine O’Keefe success. That will look different for every family. It can be as simple as: staying informed about school life, making school work a priority, providing a quiet place for homework and expecting it will be done. It can also mean volunteering in the school in whatever capacity you feel comfortable. Come in and talk to us about that. We’d love to meet you. You have a voice in your child’s education and we welcome that voice.

Our school is continuing to grow. We have many new students joining us in September. We have many new staff joining us too. I would like to offer a warm welcome to:

Mr. Lineseman- Kindergarten Ms. Wex- Grade 1 English Ms. Singh- Grade ½ English Ms. Newsom- Gr. 2 FI Mlle Nagpal- Gr.3/4 FI Ms.Goyay- Gr.5/6 English Ms. Wood- Gr. 7 English Mme Groulx- Gr. 7 FI Ms. Torchia- ESL/Special Education and Contact Ms. Gill- ESL/Special Education Ms. Boyal- ESL/Special Education Ms. Constantineau- Educational Resource Facilitator Ms. Nowrouzi- Assistant office manager Welcome back to Mlle Dubreuil (now Mme Coelho) who has returned from a leave.

We would also like to welcome our two new vice-principals: Ms. Karim and Ms. Simpson-Parkes.

Thank you to Mrs. Cuda and her cleaning staff for making our school look so beautiful. Lisa MillerWood Principal Ross Drive PS

LUNCH AND PLAYGROUND You may have noticed that we have had two additional portables. That means that our tarmac space is very tight. We have made some lunch adjustments. At each nutrition break half our children will play outside first and then eat their food and half will eat first and play second. This should allow for more space outside to play. Grades 1,2,2/3FI, 2/3 Eng.,4,4/5, and 7are eating during the first 20 minutes and playing outdoors during the second 20 minutes for both nutrition breaks.

Grades 3, 3/4Eng., ¾ FI, 5, 5/6Eng., 5/6FI, 6, and 8 are outside during the first 20 minutes and eating during the second 20 minutes.

GOING HOME FOR LUNCH If you would like your child to go home for lunch there are some rules that must be followed so that we know where your child is at all times. 1. Younger children must be signed out by a guardian every time they leave the school 2. Older students may go home only after you have signed a blanket permission form. 3. Older students must sign out and in everytime they leave for lunch once we have their permission form on file. 4. Students must leave through the front door only. 5. Students who go home for lunch without permission will have school consequences. 6. Students who do not sign out, even though they have permission, will lose their privilege of going home without a parent escort. Thank you in advance for your support.

FOOD ALLERGIES We do have several children in our school who have life threatening allergies. Please do not send nuts or nut products, including nutella. Please be very vigilant to read all packaging of prepackaged snacks before sending them to school. Please do not send any items that say “may contain traces of nuts”. Many companies are catering to the school crowd by advertising a nut free facility – look for those. Better yet, for go the expensive prepackaged snacks and throw in fruits and veggies into lunches instead. Remember our call to action to help prevent Type Two Diabetes in our students as they age. Thank you for joining our big family and keeping all of our children healthy and safe.

Please do not send food to celebrate birthdays. May we suggest loot bags with pencils/stickers etc. Thank you for your help.

VISITORS IN THE SCHOOL We highly value our parent community and their various contributions within the school. We respectfully ask that all adults enter through the front doors only. You will need to be buzzed into the school. Please then sign in at the office and get a visitor badge. In this way, we can account for all of the adults in our building.

Please allow your child the independence of making his/her own way to class within the school. Please allow him/her the pride and dignity of getting ready to start his/her day or packing up at the end of the day independently. Thank you in advance for your support

VOLUNTEERS We love our parent and grandparent volunteers. You make our school a wonderful place. If you wish to volunteer in the school and have not done so this past year, you must have a criminal record check completed. Please come to the school office and pick up a package that can be dropped off at the police station. When you get your police check back please come and have a conversation with our principal or vice principal. We can discuss what the many options to volunteer are. Volunteers can: help in classrooms; accompany school trips; help in the library; be guest readers; read dual language books to students; help with pizza lunches among many activities. CASHLESS SCHOOL Ross Drive introduced being a cashless school last year. Most of you registered on-line and it worked extremely well. You have the reassurance of not sending cash with your child to school as well as not searching for exact change at the last minute. You may use a credit card or a direct payment. This year we will not be accepting cash at all. Please get on-line as soon as you can to set up your family on the system. If you are having difficulty one of our office staff will gladly assist you.

SCHOOL CLIMATE AND BEHAVIOUR We have been working hard to establish a climate of respectful behaviour. We would like to use this foundation to grow and develop our sense of community. We have been welcoming many more students and teachers. We expect our students to treat each other and the adults in our building with kindness and respect. In turn, we expect that the adults in the building will treat our students and the community with kindness and respect. We will work very hard to develop high expectations for behaviour and academics. Ross Drive is to be a warm, welcoming place to work and learn. Thank you in advance for supporting and reinforcing these values. The school environment does extend to the bus and to our Lunchroom Supervisors.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE AND LATES Students are to be seated in class, ready to begin their day and ready for teacher instruction by 9:10 a.m. every morning. Students who consistently come in late disrupt classroom routines and their own learning, as well as learning of their fellow classmates. Please make every attempt to have your child at school and in class on time. Students who are not seated in class by 9:10 are considered late and will be buzzed into the school and then they must stop at the office for an admit slip. We will be closely monitoring student attendance throughout the year.

SAFE ARRIVAL SYSTEM All parents/guardians need to report their children’s full-day absences, late arrivals and/or early departures from school via our automated SafeArrival phone number at 1-855-209-6155, online at pdsb.schoolconnects.com, or by downloading the mobile app for Apple and Android devices. For absences longer than 5 consecutive school days, please contact the school office.

There is no longer an absence reporting phone line at school. If you have any questions or require any assistance, contact the school directly.

REORGANIZATION Reorganization will occur on September 26, 2017. At this point it is very likely that Ross Drive will reorganize. Reorganization means that classes will be moved around to make classes that meet the board and government guidelines. Please understand that the classes are not set until after September 25th, 2017 and your child may move to another teacher or another class on reorganization day. Classes are not considered set until after this day. All teachers in the same grade plan together, share the same curriculum, long range plans and major assessments. There is a strong continuity of program.

SCHOOL COUNCIL The school council is a parent meeting that will be held in the evening once every month or two. We meet on the last Monday of the month. This year we will meet on September 26th. This is a group focused on helping our students succeed. School councils give parents a voice and offer advice to the school principal. This is a very important group as we decide the direction we want our new school to go. We will be sending out forms asking if you are interested in participating or holding a leadership role. All parents are welcome even if you are not familiar with the Canadian education system. You are welcome to come, listen and express your point of view, but not hold an elected, voting position. We will be holding school council elections on September 26, 2016. Please have your nomination form in by September 19, 2017.

Please call the school if you have had your criminal record check and can help with our food sales. We would greatly appreciate your help.

AGENDAS Our Grades One to Seven students use an agenda to communicate daily between home and school. This is a very important communication tool. Agendas cost $5.00. Please ask your child to see his or her agenda every day. Please ensure it is signed and sent back to school. This is a good place to communicate with your child’s teacher. Our Grades 6-8 students will use their devices or an individual method of choice.

BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE During some school activities students will be invited to bring a device on which to work. Teachers will communicate with you about when and if he or she would like this to happen. Generally speaking our older students will take advantage of these opportunities far more often than our younger students. Sending a device with your child is up to your discretion. This is not mandatory. The school is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged devices. There will be school owned technology which your child can access if your child does not own a device or is unable to bring it.

Please review the following rules about using personal devices with your child before it comes to school: 1. Devices are for school projects only. There will be no personal use during school times. The device is away during nutrition breaks, in the hallways, outdoors, in the bathrooms and on the bus. 2. The school is not responsible for any devices brought to school. If you feel your child is not responsible enough yet, please do not send the device into school. 3. Please do not text or call your child during school hours. If you need to get a hold of your child please call the school: 905 796 4563 4. Pictures are not to be taken without teacher permission and the permission of the student/s being photographed. 5. Devices are kept and used in an area carefully supervised by teachers. 6. Mean spirited use of devices especially when it targets students or staff is subject to school discipline even if it is done off school property. Please be very aware of what your child is doing while on-line.

MEDICATION Your doctor must complete a form indicating the type of medication and the dosage before the school staff can administer any medication. All medication is kept locked in the office. It is administered daily, before lunch. We are asking that all children requiring epipens keep them on their person at all times. Many of our children wear a holster. If your child is very young or you do not feel he or she is ready for the responsibility, please discuss the various options with your child’s teacher.

If your child has asthma and requires a puffer please fill out the necessary paper work. Your child should have his or her puffer on his or her person at all times. Visit Ross Drive’s website http://schools.peelschools.org/1419/ Our newsletter will be on-line from October on. We will also e-mail you a copy if you have registered your e-mail address with us.

Want to keep up to date with what’s happening at Ross Drive? Check out our school website where you'll find:

Visit schools.peelschools.org to find your child's school website, which features: • the latest school news • contact information for school administration, superintendent and trustee • the school calendar • enrolment data • school hours • registration information • online library catalogue

You can subscribe online to receive email notifications for school news, calendar events and volunteer job opportunities. You can also choose to receive email and/or text message notifications for critical news, such as school closures due to bad weather. Click on the “Subscribe” link on the left side of the main page of the school website.

Visit the Peel board's other websites: www.peelschools.org — learn more about school programs and ways to help your child succeed in school www.peelschools.org/parents/helpyourchild — an online resource centre with tips and resources for parents to help encourage student success at home www.peelschools.org/parents/involved — learn about ways to get involved with your child’s education, including volunteer opportunities and school council. www.makingmyway.ca — online resources and tools to help you make informed decisions and explore your child's options after high school. There are five main pathways: apprenticeship, college, community living, university and the workplace. www.myBlueprint.ca/peel — an online planning tool used by grade 7 to 12 students, which includes: high school course selection, goal-setting, financial planning, occupation planner, resume and cover letter builder and a comparison of post-secondary options and programs. The following articles are included on the website right now:

 Visit our school website

 Protect your kids – and your finances

 Understanding your child’s Ontario Student Record

 Getting your questions answered

 What you need to know about busing

 Schools use many strategies to keep children safe

 Keeping lunches, snack peanut-free

 Subscribe to receive news from the Peel board

 Procedures help keep students safe at school

 Peel board trustees – accountable to the community

 Join our school council – share your ideas

 How to register at a Peel school

 Peel Region High Performers program

 A parent’s guide to high school

 Regional Learning Choices programs unlock passions

 Immunize your grade 7 children for better health with the HPV-9 vaccine

 Keep students safe in school parking lots

 PLASP child care services (see attached flyer)