DORSET Drive PUBLIC SCHOOL May 2019

100 Dorset Drive, Brampton, Ontario L6T 2Y9

School Phone: 905.793.5210 Fax #: 905.793.0915 Website: http://schools.peelschools.org/1409

Twitter account: @DorsetDrive

Principal: Mr. D. Sanvido~ Vice Principal Ms. S. Spurr

Office Manager: Ms. M. Bayaborda ~ Office Assistant Ms. M. Perez

Superintendent of Schools: Ms. L. Cook 905.451.2862 School Trustee: Ms. C. Andrews 647.473.1858

What is an IEP?

Education is full of acronyms and IEP is one of many that a parent/guardian of a child receiving special education support will en-counter.

An IEP is an Individual Education Plan. Developed at the be-ginning of the school year, it lays out the accommodations and modifications to the regular curriculum that help your child learn and be successful. No formal identification is need-ed but you, the parent/guardian should be involved in the development as you provide valuable input. It can be over-whelming so there are pamphlets, webpages, and Special Ed-ucation Advisory Committee (SEAC) representatives who can help you understand and make informed contributions. May is Better Speech and Hearing Month. Let's thank the pro-fessionals who help our children with their speech and lan-guage challenges. For more information, please visit www.peelschools.org/parents/specialed/iep

School Parking Lot

Parents please refrain from stopping or parking along the

sidewalk in the parking lot when dropping off your chil-

dren as this blocks those coming into the parking lot.

There are now signs placed along the sidewalk indicating

that it is a no stopping and a no parking zone. Parents,

please make use of the parking spots if available. If none

are available, please park along the street in designated

parking zones. Also, the road in front of the school is a

no parking and stopping route. This is our bus loading

zone, for the safety of our students and walking families

please park in designated areas. Thank you for your co-

operation.

Library News

The Library Learning Commons has been extremely busy this month with students and teachers working hard to complete their reading and exploring the Forest of Reading selections for this year. Classes came down to the LLC and voted for their absolute favourites in all of the categories. So without further ado...THE DORSET WINNERS ARE: Blue Spruce- 1st place-Where Oliver Fits 2nd place-Barnaby Never Forgets 3rd place-Sun Dog Silver Birch-Fiction-Falcon Wild Non-Fiction-Carey Price-How a First Nations Kid Became a Superstar Goaltender Express-Tie between-Meet Viola Desmond and Where's Bur-gess? An excellent time was had by all and we can’t wait to see what the results were from other schools in Ontario! The overall Ontario winners will be announced at celebrations later in the month. Mrs. Chase

May 27th to the 31st is Walk and Roll week in Peel to promote

cycling, walking, and a healthy lifestyle. Dorset Drive’s

Healthy Heroes have some prizes to give away, which can be

seen in our display case in the front foyer starting May 1st.

Simply submit a photo of you and your family either riding

bikes, scooters, rollerblading or going for a walk and your

name will be entered to win a prize. You have the entire

month of May to take the photo. Photos will be due on Mon-

day, June 3rd! Prizes will be drawn during the week of June

3rd! Good luck to all families.

Important Upcoming Dates

May 1 Gr. 1-5 Fire Safety presentations

May 1 School Council meeting @ 6:00 p.m.

May 2 Jump Rope for Heart

May 6 Gr. 5s visit Earnscliffe

May 6 Music Monday

May 8 Gr. 5s visit Balmoral

May 8 Welcome to Kindergarten evening @

6:00 p.m.

May 9 Dorset Drive talent show

May 10 Sub day

May 10 Balmoral students visit to do coding with

Dorset

May 12 Mother’s Day

May 14 Grade 4 & 5 Superhero and Villain

concert (Dress rehearsal 10:00; evening

performance 6:00 p.m.)

May 15 Grade 5 graduation photo

May 16 Gr. 3-5 Track and Field meet

May 17 Gr. 5 clay workshop

May 20 Victoria Day (no school for students)

May 21-29 EQAO (Grade 3 students only)

May 27 Pizza Day

May 27-31 Walk or roll to school week

May 27 Gr. 4 clay workshop

May 28 Gr. 4 & 5s @ Peel water festival

May 29 Volunteer tea

May 30 Gr. 2s @ Peel water festival

May 30 Gr. 5 Parent Open House @ Earnscliffe

(6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)

May 31 Character Education (Responsibility) &

Asian Heritage Assemblies (10:00 &

12:30)

May 31 Spirit Day—Crazy Hair!

Dear Dorset Drive families, Spring is finally here and the school is busier than ever! Thank you to families who attended our very successful Parent Math Hour. A big thank you to staff who organized and opened their doors to the community! Thank you as well to all the families who came out to support the Young Engineering Minds evening. It was a great success! May is Asian Heritage Month and our team has a host of activities and events planned to celebrate. We also have our Welcome to Kindergarten evening, our month end Character and Asian Heritage assembly, EQAO, and Jump Rope for Heart this month. Not to mention all the extra clubs and activities run by staff.

Another fun filled month! Looking forward to all the great opportunities and experiences at Dorset. Dennis Sanvido, Principal

Pay school fees online—register today!

The Peel District School Board reminds you that your child’s school offers a preferred method of payment for all school fees.

School Cash Online is a safe and secure form of online payment that

allows you to pay for your child’s school items, like field trips and pizza

days, from your computer or smartphone using eCheck, Visa or

MasterCard.

Register now to:

Keep track of your children’s school item and activity fees

Check account history

Print or view receipts

Make donations to school fundraisers online and instantly receive a tax receipt

Pay for school fees with the click of a button

For more information and to register, visit https://peelschools.schoolcashonline.com. If you have any questions, please contact

the school directly.

SCHOOL OFFICE HOURS

8:00 am to 4:00 pm

*********SafeArrival System******** Effective 2018

To report your child’s absence call, visit or download:

1-855-209-6155 (toll-free) go.schoolmessenger.ca Download the SchoolMessenger app

Planned absences should be reported in advance.

Using Social Media Safely

With the growing number of social media sites, it is no surprise that social media is the most common form of communication for children and teenagers. Posts, status updates, comments, instant messages, video uploads, tweets and texts have become a regular part of their lives. While there are many positive benefits to using social media, including staying connected with friends and expressing your interests, students must be cautious in their use of these networks. Among the most popular social media platforms used are Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube and Whatsapp Messenger. Many of these platforms are free and are available on smartphones and other electronic devices. These platforms are easy to navigate and often allow information to be shared instantly, not only with friends, but with strangers. On social media, it is important to remember that the world is watching. Here are some tips, provided by the Canadian Safe School Network and GetSafeOnline.org, to keep your children safe and help them make smart choices when using social media: Set some boundaries for your child before they get their first ‘connected device’ (mobile, tablet, laptop or

games console). Once they have it, it can be more difficult to change the way they use it or the settings. Have a conversation about what is appropriate online behaviour and what actions could have huge

repercussions that could damage their reputation and be harmful to others. Talk to your child about the kind of websites they look at. Encourage them to speak to you if they come across

something they find worrying or upsetting on websites, games or social media. Discuss with your child what is safe and appropriate to post and share online. Written comments, photos and

videos all form part of their ‘digital footprint’ and could be seen by anyone and available on the internet forever, even if it is subsequently deleted.

Explain to your child that being online doesn’t give them anonymity or protection, and that they shouldn’t do anything online that they wouldn’t do face-to-face. Users should only accept people they know in order to protect themselves from spammers, strangers and others who may be using social networking sites to commit crimes.

Unlike when they’re meeting someone face-to-face, children don’t always know who they’re actually ‘talking’ to online, even if they think they do. Tell your children they must never email, chat, or text with strangers, and it’s never okay to meet a stranger in the real world.

Ensure your children set their privacy settings appropriately. Take the time to learn how privacy settings work on your children’s favourite sites, and teach them how to control their privacy.

Tell your children never to share personal and private information with anyone online. This includes, but is not limited to, his or her full name, age, birth date, address, phone number, social insurance number, credit card information and parents’ full names.

Limit the amount of time that your children spend on social media platforms and talk about the importance of healthy and appropriate use of technology.

Pizza Days and SUB Days at Dorset Drive PS

To place a Pizza Order or a SUB order, you need to be registered on SchoolCashOnline.

If you have not registered go to School Cash Online home page https://peelschools.schoolcashonline.com/ and select the “Get Started Today” option.

As soon as an item is available for your child/children you will receive an email

notification.

Our next SUB Day is on ***Friday***, May 10th, 2019 Online Orders are due no later than Thursday, May 2nd, 2019

Our next Pizza Day is on ****Monday**** , May 27th, 2019

Online Orders are due no later than Thursday, May 16th, 2019

Dorset Drive puts the spotlight on Asian Heritage In December 2001, the Senate adopted a motion proposed by Senator Vivienne Poy to officially designate May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada. In May 2002, the Government of Canada signed an official declaration to desig-nate May as Asian Heritage Month. Throughout May, students, staff and parents from across Peel will participate in a number of activities that pro-mote the understanding of the many contributions made by Asian Canadians. Over the course of the month, students and teachers at Dorset Drive will be hearing cultural music and fun facts over the announcements, participating in a country exploration with their classes, hosting a school-wide henna week, and much more! Ms. Gupta (one of our Kindergarten teachers) will be taking 4 grade 4 and 5 students to the Board office for a “Spotlight on Asian Heritage “ event on May, 9. Students will have the opportunity to participate and deepen their understanding of the culture and heritage of our diverse Asian community. We will also be having an assembly on Friday, May 31st that will include many student performances! All are wel-come to attend the 10:00am or 12:30pm assembly to join the celebration!

Celebrating and Promoting Children’s Mental Health

Children’s Mental Health Week is happening May 5-11 in Ontario. It’s a time to focus on the important ways we can promote and nurture the mental health and well-being of our children.

Mental Health: A State Of Well-Being Did you know that we ALL have mental health? It is more than just the absence of illness. Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work pro-ductively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to their community (World Health Organization). Indigenous teaching reminds us that mental wellness is a balance of the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional parts of ourselves and is enriched when individuals experience purpose, hope, belonging and meaning in their lives (First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework). A child’s mental health is just as important as their physical health when it comes to success at school, in friendships and in life.

Here are some key tips and strategies to nurture your child’s mental health and resilience from your PDSB Mental Health Resource Team:

Safe, responsive relationships between adults and children is our greatest tool for promoting positive development and mental health in youth. When a child has consistent, caring adults in their life both at home and in the community, when they know they are loved and valued no matter what, and have someone trusted they can turn to when a problem arises, their resilience is bolstered.

Listen and validate feelings. Encourage children to talk about their thoughts and feelings, and show lots of love and ac-ceptance. Keep the conversation flowing by asking open-ended questions and spending quality time together at mealtimes and by participating together in activities your child enjoys.

Help Your Child Develop a Positive Sense of Self. A child’s self-perception is linked with their mental health. Help them set realistic goals; praise them for effort as well as achievement by providing genuine, realistic praise. Foster positive connec-tions with their cultural or faith community. A child with high self-esteem believes they are a good person, understands their positive qualities and strives for a successful, happy life.

Model and Teach Healthy Ways to Manage Stress. While it’s important to try to protect your child from overwhelming or toxic stress, not all stress is bad. In fact, some stress helps us motivate and prepare us to perform our best, and there is bound to be some stress after a disagreement with friends or being cut from a sports team. Give your child the tools they need to cope with stress and big feelings in a healthy way: establish healthy habits including exercise, getting enough sleep and proper nutrition; practicing gratitude and deep breathing, journalling or talking with a trusted adult are just a few exam-ples.

Notice Changes and Reach Out for Help. If you notice signs that your child feels sad or overly anxious about normal situa-tions like going to school or meeting new people, take note. A change in mood or behaviour that lasts more than two weeks, impacting social problems, academic issues or family problems could be sign of a mental health concern. Keep the lines of communication open with your child’s teacher and other caring adults in their life to discuss observations. Remember, there is no age too early for a child or family to see a mental health provider; in fact, it might benefit the whole family by providing resources and support to caregivers who may be struggling, too.

Where Can I Get Help? At school, your child can reach out to their teacher, coach, guidance teacher or school administrator as a starting point, to talk about their mental health. Every PDSB school is also assigned Social Work and Psychology staff to provide consultation and direct service to students, and assist students and families to get connected to helpful resources in the community.

In the community, visit www.WhereToStart.ca to access mental health services for children and youth in Peel. For a quick guide to mental health resources, visit bit.ly/PeelYouthResources.

For more tips on building mental health and resilience, visit bit.ly/ResiliencyTips

For updates and to follow along with the work of the PDSB Mental Health Resource Team, find them on Twitter @MHRTPeel. Adapted from Caring for Kids (2019) and Very Well Family (2018).

Register today for Adult ESL or LINC classes Do you know an adult who 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 adult learners experience success in Canadian English in both listening/speaking and reading/writing. Courses are designed for a range of basic, intermediate and advanced English (Levels 1 to 8) as well as the more experienced learner needing to prepare for an IELTS exam.

Classes are ongoing - Register anytime. All learners who complete a session will earn a certificate of learning from the Peel District School Board. Certificates of completion at Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 and greater can be submitted as proof of language proficiency for Canadian Citizenship applica-tions. Classes operate from six locations in Brampton and Mississauga with three specially designed adult centres at:

Bramalea - Adult Education Centre – Bramalea Secondary School, 510 Balmoral Dr, Brampton, Door #33

Brampton - Adult Education Centre - #300 - 7700 Hurontario Street, Brampton

Mississauga - Adult Education Centre - 100 Elm Drive West, Mississauga, Room 117

To learn more or to register, call 905-270-6000, then press 2 Also visit www.peelschools.org/adulteducation or follow us on Twitter: @PDSBLearnESL