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Erin Mills News

erinmills.net Tuesday Sept 4th , 2018

Important Reminders Time change is happening at EMMS for September 2018. The start time will be 8:10am and the end time

2:10pm. The school will be providing all locks for the lockers. The idea is to help with security and ensuring that all students have a place to put valuables and their belongings at school. More information to come in the coming weeks.

Date Event Time Location September 4 First day Back to School 8: 10am -

September 5 Grade 6 ~ Welcome back assembly 8:30am Gym

September 6 Grade 7 ~ Welcome back assembly 8:30am Gym

September 7 Grade 8~ Welcome back assembly 8:30am Gym

September 20th Student Photo Day All Day Gym

September 25 Reorganization Day School No school for Students

All Day -

September 25 School Council Elections All day

Until 6pm Main Office

September 28 Activity Fee Due on School Cash Online 9:00 am School Cash Online

September 28 Terry Fox Walk – See walking permission section in student agenda.

All Day School Grounds

October 3 Curriculum Night (Open House) TBA School Grounds

October 5 Professional Development Day – no school for students All day -

October 15 School Council Meeting 6:00 pm Library

Dear Erin Mills MS Families, Welcome to another exciting year at Erin Mills MS. We hope that families have had the chance to enjoy the warm and sunny summer months. Staff have been in during the last week in August to prepare for students and what will be a great year full of learning and new experiences. This year, we welcome the following staff members to the EMMS family:

Grade 6 /Core French/ISSP

Kim Friel

Planning Time Tamrakay Phillips

Grade 7 Joan Eubanks 0.5 Educational

Resource Facilitator TBA

Grade 7 Core French Chanique Panagakos

Grade 8 Caroline Roman

Grade 8 Core French/ISSP

Michele Jasmin

Students and Parents will receive an assortment of information in the first few weeks of the school year. It is very important to keep track of documents and ensure that items such as permission forms and monies requested are returned in a timely fashion. Thank you for your attention to these matters. We are delighted to invite our families to our “Curriculum Night" (Open House) on Oct 3rd. Communication will be made with plenty of notice so that family can make the necessary arrangements. This evening is an important one in building the partnerships between home and school in order to ensure students get off to a great year at Erin Mills MS. Communication between the home and school are essential. You will be connected to our school website where you can read the newsletter. If you have any questions about your child's progress or need to share information, please address them first to your child’s teacher. This partnership is critical in helping your child to be successful. We look forward to your ongoing support and a great year of learning! Sincerely, Maria Kalantzakos – Principal

Principal: Maria Kalantzakos VP: Mason Vandermeersch Office Manager: Jasminka Pavlovic

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Student Safety and Teacher Supervision At EMMS, teacher supervision begins at 7:55 a.m. and ends at 2:25 p.m. Students are encouraged to plan their morning routine around this arrival time and to leave school promptly at dismissal time so that we can be certain of their safety. At the end of the school day, staff is on duty until 2:25 p.m. to assist students with boarding the buses and to see that they are on their way home. Students and their families should review their routines for entry and dismissal and talk about a contingency plan should unusual circumstances occur. Students should go directly to the office for help should they miss their bus. We appreciate the many families who update us with their current phone numbers for home, work, cell phones and emergency contact so that the office may help students when needed. School Enrolment Our opening plan for EMMS's school organization is based on having 450 students enrolled by September 4th. Teachers and their teaching assignments were allocated based on this student population. Should that number change, it may be necessary to re-organize our school. Accordingly, this may correspond to a change in teachers and their homeroom classes and/or assignments. The tentative nature of the first few weeks of school organization makes it possible for the Peel Board to respond to changes in student populations throughout the district. If there is a change in students' homeroom teacher and class, we will let families know as soon as possible. We attempt to make changes as smooth as possible.

Student Activity Fee Our Student Activity Fee will be $50 dollars. This provides students with a student agenda, yearbook full of memories and

and Phys Ed uniform (shorts, t shirt and drawstring bag for an additional $5). The agenda contains our school routines, expectations and code of conduct and is used as a hall pass. We ask families to carefully read the front pages of the agenda so that they are familiar with the contents and sign the sections of the agenda that require parent/guardian signature.

The student agenda is also an integral part of teaching students time management, study habits and organization – all essential life skills. In the agenda, students are to record due dates and homework assignments. It is also an excellent way for parents and teachers to communicate. The Activity Fee is due before September 28th.

Lunch at EMMS – Hot Lunch Program is coming ~ stay tuned for the exciting options that will be available in October We believe that offering a hot lunch program is beneficial to our students’ well-being and a convenient delight. At this time, we are reviewing our lunch program by gathering feedback from students and parents. The goal is to provide a "Lunch Program" that allows a student to buy a hot and healthy lunch at school. Our lunch program will meet the Ministry Food & Beverage Policy guidelines. Stay tuned for more information. To support a safe climate, students are NOT permitted to go off school campus, to South Common Mall or South Common CC during their lunch time.

Terry Fox Run/Walk ~ Sept 28th Our school will participate in the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope. EMMS students, along with many other schools in Peel, will participate in this fundraising event for cancer research. We hope to raise a significant amount of money for the Terry Fox Fund and are asking that every student bring in a "TOONIE FOR TERRY" on the day of the event. Let’s try and aim for a goal of $1000 this year.

Student Accident Insurance The Peel District School Board does not provide accident insurance coverage for student injuries that occur on school property or during school activities including extracurricular sports. Each year, many of our families spend thousands of dollars when their children are injured at school, on field trips, while participating in non-school activities, or at home. If a student is injured, parent(s)/guardian(s) are responsible for any costs not covered by provincial health care or their employer’s health plan. Please check with your provider regarding your coverage. The provincial health care system does not cover costs which are commonly related to accidents including dental work, ambulance fees, casts and crutches, and physiotherapy. All of these are covered by Reliable Life’s student accident insurance plan. It is strongly recommended that all families consider this coverage, especially if your child participates in extracurricular activities. Annual plans, which provide 24 hours a day, 365 days a year coverage, range from $13.50 to $32.00 per year. Through the application only you can be covered for the school day only as low as $8.00 per year. Family rates for three or more children are available. The insurance agreement is between you and Reliable Life Insurance Company. You can apply for coverage through paper application or online at www.insuremykids.com. For more information call Reliable Life Insurance Company toll free at 1-800-463-KIDS (5437). A Reminder about Volunteering At Erin Mills MS (All are welcome) We encourage parents to become active in our school community and for some family members working in our school or on a field trip is a viable option. Since September 2001, our Board requires that all volunteers have a Criminal Record Check (CRC). Parents wishing to accompany students on a class field trip need to have a completed a recent CRC. Thank

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you in advance for your interest in possibly volunteering at our school. To volunteer at our school, you must complete a short interview and a criminal record check. A police background check is required for all school volunteers in Ontario. Even if you want to accompany your child on a field trip, you need this background check.

Once you have completed the process, you are on file with the Peel District School Board as being a school volunteer. Beginning this year, all returning volunteers will be mailed an Offence Declaration Form that must be filled out and returned to the board office each year. You will not be able to volunteer with the Peel board until you have returned this form. If you have any questions about criminal record checks or the offence declaration form, please call the board office at 905-890-1010 ext. 2488.

Keep students safe in school parking lots Many elementary schools offer a Kiss N’ Ride program, where parents/guardians can drop off and pick up their children at a designated area on school property. The program was established to provide a convenient and safe option for our students and parents driving to school. To ensure the safety of staff and students, we ask all parents/guardians be mindful of the following guidelines:

There is no parking and no waiting in the Kiss and Ride lane. Pay attention to the traffic in front of you and pull forward as cars move forward. If you choose to park in the parking lot, please escort your child to or from the nearest foot patroller and use the main crosswalk.

Vehicles entering the Kiss N’ Ride lane must stay in the designated lane, unless otherwise directed by a staff member or volunteer.

The Kiss N’ Ride program is only available to students who are able to disembark independently.

Have your child ready to exit the car when you reach the curb. Students may only exit from the passenger (right) side of the vehicle.

After picking up or dropping off your child, leave promptly so that others can get in behind you.

If your child is not waiting for you at the main crosswalk at the end of the day, please circle the parking lot if permitted and rejoin the line or park in a designated parking space to wait.

Always respect traffic flow and abide all traffic laws and signs. Ask your child’s teacher or principal to learn more about our school’s specific Kiss N’ Ride procedures. Bus Eligibility The Peel District School Board eligibility distances for transportation are as follows:

Grades 6 to 8 students – 2 km The eligibility distances measured are the shortest, safe walking route along sidewalks, roadways and paved pedestrian walkways from school property line to home property line. How do I know if my child is eligible for transportation? Student Transportation of Peel Region (STOPR) has a website where you can find out whether your child is eligible for transportation based on your home address. Visit www.stopr.ca or businfo.stopr.ca, click on "Transportation Eligibility" and enter your information. In addition, if your child is eligible for transportation, beginning the last week of August to the end of June each year, you can securely access your child’s transportation information, including bus stop location and pick-up and drop-off times, from businfo.stopr.ca. Click on “Student Login” and enter the information required. To ensure privacy of information you will be required to enter the Ontario Education Number (OEN), which can be found on your child’s report card. For more information regarding procedures, late buses, cancellations, safety and frequently asked questions please visit the Student Transportation of Peel Region website at www.stopr.ca. After October 1st , any available spaces will be offered through the "Courtesy Transportation" process. Please see Mr Vandermeersch, our VP, to receive a form. Bus spaces will be offered by October 1st . This is to ensure that seats for eligible students are available until enrolment and bus routes are stable.

Safe Arrival/Attendance at School All students are expected to attend school regularly. Students should be in line, ready to enter the building at 8:05 a.m. for

morning entry and 11:40 p.m. for lunch entry. If your child will be late or absent from school, please contact the School Messenger at 1-855-209-6155 or go.schoolmessenger.ca or download the School Messenger mobile app for Apple and Android users. This line is dedicated to messages regarding late or absent students and is available 24 hours a day. When children return to school after an absence, they are

responsible for connecting with their homeroom teacher and their rotary teachers to "catch up" with any missed work or assignments. All classrooms have a section of the blackboard devoted to homework and assignment due dates and routines students follow when absent. Students that are late must have a note from a parent explaining the reason for being late.

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Reminder about Dress Code at EMMS At EMMS, students are asked to dress in a manner that demonstrates respect for themselves and others. Students are expected to wear:

Shirts that cover their entire torso and undergarments and no longer than middle finger when standing straight Shorts/skirts of a suitable length (i.e. when a student’s arms are by their sides the shorts/skirts should touch their middle

finger with no undergarments showing as students use stairs Tee shirts without questionable messages/logos/ captions Outdoor wear (gloves, hats, scarves, boots etc.) are not to be worn indoors

Please refer to the student agenda for any additional information. Inappropriately dressed students will call home to have a parent/guardian bring a change of clothing or wear a clean t-shirt provided by the admin team. Medical Students

All students who have a medical condition must alert the school immediately. Contacting the school at the beginning of the year alerts us to the condition and allows us to update our data. In cases where the condition is serious or requires medication to be kept at school, two forms will be sent home. The first allows us to keep the medication at school and second outlines the steps that the school will need to take in the event of an emergency. Both will need to be signed by a doctor.

Additionally, we have a number of students that had medication in the school last year, but have no medication in the school at this time. If your child has taken the medication home over the summer, it is imperative that it is returned to the school as soon as possible with new documentation. If the medication is no longer required, again, please let the school knows as soon as possible so that we can update our data base. Please track expiration dates for medication (e.g. epi pens) and ensure that the school has non-expired medication on hand. ALL students who require to have an EPi-Pens/Puffers will be required to wear them throughout the day in the fanny pack. Any student that does not have the EPi-Pen and/or Puffer on them will be asked

to call home and one must be brought to the school. If you have any questions, please do not hestitate to call Ms Kalantzakos.

Prescribed Medication In the event that your family doctor prescribes medication for your child at some time throughout the school year, we have attached a form for the doctor to complete before we are able to give medication at school. All medication must be kept at the office and students should not have medication in their locker or backpack. Students are NOT to self administer medication for safety reasons.

School Council As per Board policy, elections for School Council must take place each fall. The following timeline will bring us to Election Day on Sept 25th .

Sept. 7th Council Nomination forms sent home

Sept. 14th Nomination forms due back to school office

Sept. 14th – list of nominees sent home/posted on school website by end of day

Parents may cast ballots on Sept 25th from 2:10 until 6pm. The top 12 candidates will form the new School Council. The first school council meeting will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 15th in the school library at 6:30 pm. School council allows parents an opportunity to have ongoing participation and input into improving the school. Last year, we discussed ways in which to improve EQAO scores and discussed the school's technology initiative, to name just a few. We hope to see you at the meeting. Congratulations to Council for again securing a $1000 Parents Reaching Out grant from the Ministry of Education.

Picture Day

EMMS students will have their class and individual photo taken on September 15th . More information to come home with your child(ren) first week of school. Schoolwide Picture retakes will be on October 30th.

Important information regarding student privacy and use of third party apps and web services At the Peel District School Board, we are committed to helping each child achieve to the best of his or her ability. Using Modern Learning tools is an essential component of teaching and learning in today’s world. Modern Learning tools can include Internet sites where users interact and collaborate in

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online environments, websites where users log in, and/or applications for tablets. The Peel board believes that these online services are key tools in aiding students and teachers in the development of 21st Century skills. Please note: In order to support student privacy, Peel board students are requested not to use their school email (studentnumber@pdsb.net) to create accounts on any third party, non-protected domain, apps/web services. The terms and conditions of these app/web-services do not align with the Peel board’s Registering and Use of Software, Web-Based Services and Apps guidelines as their services may collect and display the student’s private information, including the full name, publicly. If your child uses their own personal accounts to access these apps/web services, please encourage them to use privacy settings to ensure that their account information, including full name, is not shared publicly. Please visit www.bit.ly/byodparentresources for more information.

Celebrating Faith and Culture September 2018

DATE

CELEBRATION FAITH AND CULTURE

September Genuuqwilkw and Corn Moon Aboriginal Spirituality September 1 Installation of Guru Granth Sahib Sikhism September 2 Sri Krishna Janmaashtami Hinduism September 3 Labour Day Canada September 4 Farvardegan Zoroastrianism September 7 Paryushan Parva begins Jainism September 8 to 26 the month of `Izzat in Bahá'í Bahá'í Sunset of September 9 to 11

Rosh Hashanah Judaism

September 11 Nayrouz (J) Christianity September 11 New Year (Hijra) and Muharram Islam

September 12 Ganesh Chaturthi/Vinayak Chauth Hinduism

September 12 to 16 Ghambar Paitishahem Zoroastrianism September 14 Samvatsari Jainism Sunset of September 18 to 19

Yom Kippur Judaism

September 19 Powley Day Aboriginal Spirituality September 20 Ashura Islam September 22 Shuki-Sorei-Sai Shinto September 22 Mabon/Harvestide Wicca Sunset of September 23 to 30

Sukkot Judaism

September 23 or 24 Anant Chaturdashi Hinduism and Jainism September 25 Kshamavani and Daslakshan Parva

ends Jainism

September 27 to October 15

the month of Mashi'yyat Bahá'í

LET'S WORK TOGETHER TOWARDS A GREAT SCHOOL YEAR!

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If you require a hard copy of the newsletter after September -- please let the admin team know immediately