April 2016

Birchbank Public School

52 Birchbank Rd. Brampton, L6T 1L7

Phone: (905) 793-7984 Fax: (905) 793-0100

Principal: A. Khan Vice Principal: V. Gupta

Office Manager Karen Wallbank Office Assistant Jo-Anne Hughes

Superintendent Michael Logue

Trustees Kathy McDonald Carrie Andrews

School website: http://schools.peelschools.org/1407

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SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM Call (905) 793-7984

Please call when your child will be late or absent from school.

What’s

Inside ...

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE .Dear Birchbank families;

Climate for Learning and Working:

We would like to wish you all a happy Spring. We hope you had a relaxing Break with your

families and enjoyed some quality time, some relaxation and rejuvenation. We would also like to

extend belated Easter wishes to those of you who celebrated on the long weekend. We were

happy to have our students back this week for the final term before the summer holidays.

We continue to nurture and teach our students about building good character. Cooperation has

been the trait that we have been focused on since March. Each and every day we see many acts of

cooperation among our students, staff and our parents. The most powerful lessons for our

students are the direct positive role-modeling.

Our School Council X-Dance evening on March 23rd was X-tra awesome and a great success!

Many parents and their children attended and participated with enthusiasm. It was wonderful to

observe the bonding of parents and children but more importantly; the proud moments the

students showed as they danced the night away experiencing mindfulness, mateship and

movement.

On March 31st our Kindergarten students treated us to an outstanding assembly on cooperation.

The entire event was led by Kindergarten students. The bar was set high and our youngest

students stepped up and showcased their very best. We were so proud of all the performances.

We know that a lot of work by the kindergarten staff took place but we also know that it was well

worth it. Thank you to our Kindergarten department.

We would like to remind you of our upcoming Recognition assembly for Cooperation which will

take place on Friday April 29.

Parents, The Peel District Board will be celebrating Education Week starting on April 18.

Birchbank would like to invite you all to drop in to our school on Tuesday April 19 anytime

between 9:30 to 11:30 or between 1:00 to 2:00 as we showcase our students at work, our choir, or

a drop in at the book fair. Also present at our school will be our Settlement Worker, Peel Health

and our School Council reps. There will be an opportunity for parents to participate in our parent

lending library. We look forward to a great turnout and support from our Birchbank community.

Teaching and Learning:

On April 11 is a Professional Development day for our staff. There will be no school for our

students. Birchbank will be getting together on April 11 with Aloma and Clark to continue our

school success journey for this year.

Continued on page 2

Tentative Calendar 2016-2017 Region of Peel—Immunizations Message from the Library Learning Commons Birchbank Ambassador’s Message Day of Pink April 11th—NO SCHOOL Grade 3 EQAO Assessment Grade 5 Graduation Bus Safety

Lunchroom Supervisors 2016-2017 Earth Week—April 18-22 Education Week—April 18-22 Parent Involvement Committee Peel District School Board Survey Supporting Student Learning Numeracy Conference Anti-Bullying Presentation Adult ESL

Caring

Cooperation

Honest

Inclusive

Respectful

Responsible

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE continued..

We will be engaged in collaboration around many numeracy topics. This co-learning will be further explored back

at our schools.

We encourage you to discuss with your child how they are doing at school, to re-visit a goal that may have been set

since the Fall. In addition, monitoring and supporting your child with the goal will be useful and productive. Please

feel free to contact the teachers if you require clarification or support as this could prevent student frustration, fear,

and anxiety. Continuing to use the school agenda as a tool for communication is a great way to help your child to

stay organized, meet deadlines and become accountable. Arriving to school on time is critical for student success.

We urge you to support your child in being punctual. Supervision begins at 8:15 a.m. By 8:30 a.m. we expect all

our students to be in class for the beginning of the instructional day.

Parents our Grade 3 EQAO dates have been set for May 26 to June 2. Testing will take place during the mornings

of each day. A lime green letter was sent home with all the details so please read carefully. We hope that you will

make appointments on days when testing is not in progress.

Our Grade 5 Graduation will take place on Wednesday June 29. Our celebrations include a ceremony at 9:30, a

luncheon for the students and a Grade 5 trip. These events are all compliments of our school Council. We are

looking forward to a very successful event for our students moving on to Middle school.

We encourage you to stay connected to our school community, to visit our website, to pay attention to our

synrevoice messages and to spend some time perusing the newsletter. We know you will continue to be strong

advocates for your children and we want you to be reassured that we will continue to support you in providing the

best learning environment and opportunities for your child.

We believe that all our students will have " the freedom to grow academically, emotionally and socially in a safe

and inclusive environment."

Sincerely,

A. Khan

Principal

Tentative school year calendars for 2016-17 The Peel District School Board has approved the school year calendars for all schools, including Roberta Bondar Public School, Ray Lawson Public School and Roy McMurtry School for 2016-17. The calendars will now be submitted to the Ministry of Education for approval. The dates are not official until approved by the ministry. Visit www.peelschools.org/calendar/schoolyear to view the tentative school year calendars for 2016-17.

Region of Peel Health

Immunizations are an important way to support student safety at school. Please ensure that all of your child's im-

munizations are up-to-date. You are responsible for updating your child's immunization records at the Region of

Peel. The Region of Peel issues suspension letters for students whose immunization records are not up-to-date.

Contact:

www.ImmunizePeel.ca

fax (905) 565-0426 or (905) 565-0793

phone (905) 799-7700

Birchbank Public School’s Ambassadors Message Hello Parents and Guardians. We hope you had a nice long weekend. Here at Birchbank, we are learning a lot

about character traits. This month’s character trait is cooperation. We have seen lot’s of students cooperating to

work, play and enjoy. As a team we, the Birchbank Ambassadors have worked as a team to help students respect

and cooperate with their fellow classmates and the entire school. We hope for major improvement in the entire

school and in their future.

Also at Birchbank, we have many extra-curricular activities like robotics, skipping, OFIP tutoring and French club.

These extra activities help us cooperate as a team. All of these have ways of teaching how to respect, cooperate and

care.

We had a blast at our assembly for March. We had a lot of presentations from our kindergarten classes who put a

lot of effort in their presentations for the character trait of the month. COOPERATION. We started off with a vid-

eo from Kid President. The video had a really strong message saying how we should work together and cooperate

with each other. Then the kindergarten classes started presenting. They were really amazing! Mr. Heeley-Ray’s

class did a video about how they used cooperation in their class and Mrs. Grewal’s class with an amazing turnip

presentation. We ended off the assembly with the golden boot award—Congratulations to Ms. Podnar’s class.

News from the Library Learning Commons

The Spring Book Fair is just 3 weeks away and the excitement is building! The Book Fair will run

from Monday, April 18 to Friday, April 22, 2016. Watch for the Book Fair Flyer that each

student will bring home the week prior to the Book Fair. The flyer features a few of the books that will be at the

Book Fair but there will also be many more to choose from, including picture books, chapter books, graphic

novels, and posters.

On the back of the Book Fair Flyer, there is a Family Event Door Prize Ballot for you to fill out. Please bring this

to the Book Fair when you visit. The winning ballot from the Family Event Door Prize Contest will be selected at

the end of the Book Fair on Friday, April 22, 2016. The winner will choose $25.00 worth of books to take home

and $25.00 worth of books for their classroom! Make sure you enter!

In addition, we will be having a Bookmark Contest! Students who enter will have a chance to win a $10.00 gift

certificate to be spent on books at the Book Fair between April 18 and April 22, 2016. Bookmarks should reflect

our Monster Book Fair theme or a Birchbank Bees theme. All entries are due by Friday, April 15, 2016.

Each class will have a scheduled time to visit the Book Fair. Families may visit the Book Fair on:

Monday, April 18 – Friday, April 22, 8:30 am – 9:30 am

and

Thursday, April 21-¸ 3 pm – 5:30 pm

We look forward to seeing you at our Spring Book Fair!

Celebrating Faith and Culture

April 2016

April Mmaal Aboriginal Spirituality

April 7 or April 8 Vasant Navratri and New Year’s Day

Hinduism

April 8 Farvardegan Zoroastrianism

April 8 to 26 Month of Jalál Bahá'í

April 13 or 14 Vaisakhi or Baisakhi Sikhism and Hinduism

April 13 Saka and New Year’s Day Buddhism and Hinduism

April 15 Sri Ramnavami Hinduism

April 19 Mahavir Jayanti Jainism

Sunset of April 20 to May 1

Ridvan Bahá'í

April 22 Theravada New Year Buddhism

Sunset of April 22 to 30 Pesach (Passover) Judaism

April 24 (J) Palm Sunday Christianity

April 24 Zarathosht-no-Diso Zoroastrianism

April 27 to May 16 Month of Jamál Bahá'í

April 28 (J) Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) Christianity

April 29 (J) Good Friday (Holy Friday) Christianity and Canada

April 30 to May 4 Ghambar Maidyozarem Zoroastrianism

Birchbank Public School goes pink on April 12 April 13 is Day of Pink, the international day to celebrate diversity and inclusion to work towards ending homophobia, transphobia and all forms of bullying and discrimination. This year, there are several bolded holy days taking place on April 13. In order to give all of our students an opportunity to be part of this important inclusion activity, Peel District School Board schools will recognize Day of Pink on April 12 this year. “Equity and inclusion is something that all Peel schools teach throughout the year and discuss with students daily—it is embedded in everything we do,” says Tony Pontes, director of education. “Day of Pink is just one more way for us to ensure students and staff learn, work and develop in environments that are safe, equitable, inclusive, respectful and nurturing for all.” Day of Pink began when a high school student in Cambridge, Nova Scotia, was bullied with homophobic language because he wore a pink shirt to school. The next day, hundreds of students at his school stood up to bullying and wore pink to school to show their support for equity and inclusion.

No school for Students on April 11, 2016 As a result of labour settlements with various federations and employee groups, the Ministry of Education has directed all school boards to create an additional Professional Activity Day this year and for each school year go-ing forward.

For the 2015-16 school year, the additional PA Day for the Peel District School Board will be April 11, 2016. All

Peel board elementary and secondary schools will be closed to students on this day.

Grade 3 EQAO Assessment

On May 26, 27, 30, 31 and June 1 and 2, your child will be taking part in the provincial

Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division (Grades 1–3).

This assessment is administered to all Grade 3 students in Ontario’s publicly funded school system by the

Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), an independent agency of the Government of Ontario.

This assessment consists of two booklets assessing language and a third booklet assessing mathematics. Each

booklet is made up of two sections, for a total of six sections. Each section will take about one hour to complete.

The administration of the six sections will be spread out across the two-week window.

EQAO assessment questions are directly based on the expectations set out in The Ontario Curriculum, which is

what teachers teach in the classroom every day. Therefore, your child does not need to prepare in any special way.

Students will write the test in their regular classrooms with their regular teachers and are simply encouraged to do

their best and show what they know.

In September, EQAO will send our school a report on your child’s achievement on the assessment, and we will

send it home at that time. Your child’s results are private and will give you an indication of his or her achievement

in relation to Ontario’s high provincial standard. The standard, or Level 3, represents the range from B– to B+.

Meeting the standard means your child has a solid grasp of the required knowledge and skills, which is a good indi-

cation that he or she will be ready for Grade 4. The results of the assessment do not affect your child’s grades or

report card in any way. They do, however, give you information about your child’s progress to add to the overall

picture.

You can use the information that EQAO assessment results provide about your child’s strengths and areas needing

improvement to celebrate his or her progress. It can help you in discussions with teachers. We can use it as a school

community, along with other information, to guide our school improvement initiatives for reading, writing and

mathematics. This benefits not only your child but all the students in our school. The results are also used by our

school board and the Ministry of Education to direct attention and resources where they are needed.

For more information about EQAO and to view a sample of its assessments, you are encouraged to visit

www.eqao.com.

Grade 5 Graduation

With the arrival of spring, we wanted to let you know the date for the Grade 5 Graduation so that you may plan

accordingly. This year’s Graduation Ceremony will take place at 9:00 a.m. June 29th, 2016 in the school

gymnasium. A celebration luncheon will follow the formal portion of the day. We hope that you will be able to join

us as students continue on their educational journey onto middle school. As planning continues, more detailed

information will be forthcoming.

Visit Birchbank Public School’s website

Website: http://schools.peelschools.org/1407

Twitter: Follow us: @BirchbankBees to see what our little bees are up to.

Want to keep up to date with what’s happening at Birchbank Public School?

Check out our school website where you'll find:

the latest school news

contact information for school administration, superintendent and trustee

calendar

enrolment data

school hours

mission, vision and values

registration information

printable forms

frequently asked questions

volunteer information

EQAO reports

Keep up to date with our website subscription service

Our new website also features a subscription service where you can sign up to receive email

notifications for school news, calendar events and volunteer job opportunities. You can also

choose to be notified via email and/or text message for critical news, such as school closures

due to bad weather. Click on the subscribe link on the left-hand side of the main page of

our website.

School Bus Safety

We know that you will agree that good behaviour is the key to having a safe ride home.

Families have been provided with bus rules that include remaining seated, using soft

voices, using appropriate words, keeping hands and feet to yourself, obeying the bus driver and obeying

bus monitors. Students have received many reminders regarding school bus safety.

All busses have a seating plan to further support positive student behaviour. Each child has an assigned

seat. Students are expected to know the location of their seat and always use it.

We remind students that riding the bus is an extension of school and all school rules apply. Riding the

bus is a privilege which can be removed if your child's conduct repeatedly breaks the rules. Thank you

for taking the time to discuss bus safety with your child on a regular basis.

Subscribe to www.STOPR.ca for all bus delays, cancellations and information related

to your child’s bus.

Peel board celebrates public education during Eduation Week - April 18 to 22

Peel public schools will host hundreds of special activities and events to celebrate Education Week 2016. To give schools plenty of time to hold activities, this celebration of education will be held from April 18 to 22. The theme for this year's focus on education is You Inspire. In addition to inviting parents and community residents to visit their classrooms during the week, Peel schools are hosting open houses, plays/musicals, storytelling, environmental activities, awards assem-blies, talent shows and much more. One of the highlights of Education Week is the presentation of Awards of Excellence. The award recipi-ents are students, volunteers, staff and community partners who have made outstanding contributions to public education in Peel. The awards will be presented to 26 deserving recipients at the Showcase of Excellence ceremony on April 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the board room, HJA Brown Education Centre, 5650 Hurontario St., Mississauga. More than 800 individuals will also be honoured during Education Week with Awards of Distinction for their contributions to their school or workplace.

Earth Week – April 18 to 22, 2016 Earth Week encompasses the international celebration of Earth Day on April 22. This is the most celebrated envi-ronmental event worldwide. Initiated in 1970, this event has been considered the birth of the environmental movement. Each year, more than 6 million Canadians join 500 million people in over 180 countries in staging events and pro-jects to address local environmental issues. In Canada, Earth Day has grown into Earth Week and even Earth Month to accommodate the profusion of events and projects. Here are some ways that you can celebrate earth week with your family:

create a backyard or school yard habitat

plant a garden or tree

start a recycling program at home

organize a carpooling campaign in your neighbourhood to reduce air pollution

pick up trash in your neighbourhood

read a book about an endangered species

make a visit to your local zoo, aquarium or museum

visit a local park, wildlife area or farm to provide a fun opportunity to learn about the environment and life

Help us to encourage and enhance parent involvement in Peel Apply for a position on the board's Parent Involvement Committee The Peel board’s Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) meets regularly throughout the school year to review the board’s plans for parent involvement as they relate to parent, family and community en-gagement, and to make suggestions to schools, councils and the board regarding additional parent out-reach. As mandated by the ministry, the purpose of Peel board's PIC is to: support, encourage, and enhance meaningful parental involvement within schools and across the dis-

trict, including, outreach to parents who find involvement more challenging work collaboratively with the school board to support student success seek out the advice and ideas of school councils, and other parents and partners as they plan and im-

plement strategies to involve more parents at the regional level develop strategies for enhancing parental engagement and outreach Parent application packages will be made available on April 6 at www.peelschools.org/PIC. Forms must be returned by April 29, 2016.

Keeping children safe in and around storm sewers, waterways

Rising and fast moving water in lakes, ponds and creeks is increasingly likely during spring. Children playing in and around storm sewers and watercourses, entering storm sewers through the outfalls, and entering storm sewers through access covers is dangerous. The following information will 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 are difficult tragic falls could take place Please review this information with your children and let them know how dangerous storms sewers and waterways are.

Let’s Talk: Provide input on the Peel District School Board’s

2016-17 budget priorities

The Peel District School Board has a long history of fiscal responsibility, focused on a mission to inspire success, confidence and hope in each student. Through our goal to use resources effec-tively to enhance student achievement, the board has been able to do so in an efficient and sustainable manner, while supporting the needs of all learners. To guide the Peel board in the development of its 2016-17 school year budget, trustees are seeking input from staff, parent, student and community members. We’d like to hear from you about what you see as budget priorities for the upcoming school year. To provide input, individuals may: Delegate the board at Regular Meetings of the Board on April 26, 2016, or May 10, 2016. Provide input through your School Council. Please contact your School Council chair to

find out when budget consultation will be discussed at an upcoming meeting. Complete a brief, online survey at www.peelschools.org/BUDGET by May 13, 2016. Before you provide input, you may choose to refer to the Peel board’s Report Card for Student Success at www.reportcardforstudentsuccess.org in an effort to align your ideas with the board’s strategic plan, goals and key priorities. Other resources are available at www.peelschools.org/BUDGET.

Parent resources help you support your child’s learning At the Peel District School Board, our mission is to inspire success, confidence and hope in each child. There is no doubt that families play a vital role in helping us achieve this goal. As our partner in educa-tion, we hope you'll stay connected to your child's learning throughout his or her entire school experi-ence. In October 2014, the Peel board sought input from families to help guide the development of resources that help parents and caregivers support their children’s learning. The result is a new Help Your Child online resource centre on the Peel board’s website with the topics families said were important to them. Visit www.peelschools.org/parents/helpyourchild to explore all resources available to parents. There you will find easy-to-navigate buttons that connect families to tip sheets and web pages on a number of different topics, including math, homework, special education, EQAO and mental health.

Register today for Adult ESL or LINC classes

Do you know an adult that is interested in improving their English language skills for work,

study or daily life?

Through the Continuing & Adult Education department, the Peel District School Board offers a

wide variety of English language classes that help parents experience success in Canadian Eng-

lish in both listening/speaking and reading/writing. Courses are designed for a range of basic,

intermediate and advanced English (Levels 1 to 7) as well as the more experienced learner

needing to prepare for an IELTS exam.

Classes are ongoing—Register anytime.

All learners that complete a session will earn a certificate of learning from the Peel District

School Board.

Classes operate from six locations in Brampton and Mississauga with three specially designed

adult centres at:

Bramalea - Adult Education Centre - 25 Kings Cross Road, Unit 3

Brampton - Adult Education Centre - #300 - 7700 Hurontario Street Mississauga - Adult Education Centre - 100 Elm Drive West, Room 117

To learn more or to register, call 905-270-6000. Also visit www.peelschools.org/

adulteducation or follow us on Twitter: @PDSBLearnESL

Birchbank Bulletin Calendar CHARACTER TRAIT FOR THIS MONTH IS

CO-OPERATION

APRIL 2016

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1 Day 2 Pizza Day Skipping Team Practice

2

3 4 Day 3 Autism Awareness—Wear Blue today!

5 Day 4 Bollywood Dance Club Practice

6 Day 5 Grade 4 Math Club

7 Day 1 Choir Practice Skipping Team Practice

8 Day 2 Pizza Day Skipping Team Practice

9

10 11 Professional Activity Day NO SCHOOL for students

12 Day 3 Day of Pink—Wear Pink today!

13 Day 4 Bollywood Dance Club Practice Grade 4 Math Club School Council Meeting 6:30pm

14 Day 5

15 Day 1 Pizza Day Choir Practice Skipping Team Practice

16

17 18 Day 2 Book Fair Skipping Team Practice

19 Day 3 Parent Drop-In Book Fair The NED Show

20 Day 4

Book Fair Bollywood Dance Club Practice Grade 4 Math Club

21 Day 5 D.O. Bullying Presentation Book Fair

22 Day 1 Pizza Day Book Fair Skipping Team Practice Choir Practice Spirit Day—Wacky Hair

23

24 25 Day 2 Skipping Team Practice

26 Day 3

27 Day 4 Bollywood Dance Club Practice Grade 4 Math Club Grade 5 Graduation Photo Day

28 Day 5 Grade 5 Trip

29 Day 1 Pizza Day Choir Practice Skipping Team Practice Co-operation Assembly 1:00pm

30

Education Week April 18-22