2015 40 New Westminster Drive, Thornhill (905) 738-724 Attendance Line: 905-907-7884

Louis-Honoré Fréchette P.S.

www.louishonorefrechette.ps.yrdsb.edu.on.ca

FRÉCHETTE GAZETTE

Administrators’ Message The month of February has been filled with many different learning opportunities and activities for our students. Our school-wide focus continues to be on developing our Critical Thinking skills, creating positive, inclusive learning environments and fostering student engagement. Our staff members continue to plan the implementation of problem solving in math. This is a new focus in our school improvement plan. Through February we engaged in many activities to promote inclusion, engagement, environmental responsibility and school spirit. We celebrated our work with Eco-Schools initiatives at our Power Stream Electricity and Safety Presentation on February 18th. We also promoted energy conservation by having ‘Sweater Day’. In doing so, we reinforced the message of energy conservation. Our initiatives are featured in the Ontario Eco-Schools newsletter (http://www.ontarioecoschools.org/#MmeLumiere). Also in February we showed our Canadian winter spirit with an assembly and the celebration Carnival. The week long celebration embraced all things winter and was supported by a daily visit from Bon Homme. Two days of outdoor games provided all students the opportunity to enjoy friendly competitive games with their classmates, in the snow. The week culminated in an assembly during which the identity of Bon Homme was revealed. Finally, our Valentine’s Day dance was another huge success. Each grade was invited to participate in a fun session of dancing and music and we would like to thank our School Council for sponsoring the event. In addition, building on our positive and inclusive school environment, our staff, students, and school council, have invested time this month to reflect on what it means to be a part of the Fréchette family. Our day of inclusion celebrated our diversity with the aim of building positive and healthy relationships. We commend the work of many of our older students in support of our efforts. In March we are looking forward to the CN Safety Presentation on March 10th. Finally, don’t forget that March Break is fast approaching and will begin on March 13th (P.A. Day) to March 22nd. Classes will resume on March 23rd. We wish you a happy and safe holiday and look forward to receiving our students refreshed and ready to jump into their learning for the remainder of the school year!

Respectfully yours,

Madame Furlin et M. Fender

Priorities:

Director’s Annual Plan Literacy and Numeracy

Equity

Environment

Engagement

Well-Being

Principal: Angie Furlin Vice Principal: Bill Fender

Trustees: Susan Geller (905) 882-4179

Superintendent of Schools:

Clayton LaTouche - (905) 764-6830

DATES TO REMEMBER

March 2,3 - Dental Screening

Gr. 2 & 8

March 10 - CN Rail Presentation

Gr. 6 - 8

March 11 - Skating 10am-12pm

Gr. 1, 5, 4, 6

March 11 - Day of Pink

March 11 - Big Crunch Assembly

March 12 - Skating 10am-12pm

Gr. 3, 8, 2, 7

March 13 - P.A. Day

March 16 to 20 - March Break March 24 - Lice Checks

FRÉCHETTE GAZETTE Page 2

SKATING DAYS AHEAD!

Get your skates and helmets ready—we are going skating on March 11th and 12th at

Garnett A. Williams arena!

The grade 1 and 5 students will go skating on March 11 from 10am - 11am. The grade 4 and 6 students will go skating on March 11 from 11am - 12pm. The grade 3 and 8 students will go skating on March 12 from 10am - 11pm. The grade 2 and 7 students will go skating on March 12 from 11am - 12pm. Please make sure that your child has skates and a proper helmet as they are mandatory and will not be

able to skate without them. Students who will be staying at school will have planned activities. Thank you again to our School Council Fundraising Committee for all their help in co-ordinating and

funding this terrific event.

French Immersion Accommodation Plan

French Immersion registration ended on February 13th, 2015. Late applications, can be made in person at the local French Immersion school. Late applications will be considered on a first-come-first-served basis. All registrations will be subject to review and verification. Parents looking for more information can visit the Board’s website at www.yrdsb.ca.

MESSAGE FOR PARENTS WHO HAVE ORDERED HOT LUNCHES FOR THEIR CHILD Nutrition and healthy eating is as important to health as it is to learning. Unfortunately, there are many children arriving at school with no food or not enough food to eat, or the

lunch that they ordered is not served that day. Please ensure that you mark the date for all your child/

children’s lunches so they have sufficient food and snacks to make it through the school day if their lunch

is not served that day. We are not equipped to serve large groups of children in the office, that for what-

ever reason, arrive in the office with no lunch or not enough lunch. We have a number of students coming

into the office requesting lunch and/or snacks on a daily basis and students who come into the office com-

plaining that they do not like their lunch. Please talk to your child/children about what they like to eat and

the importance of eating what they have in their lunch. There also seems to be a question on the dates that lunches will be served. Lunches that are ordered from

school will ALWAYS be served on the same calendar day (i.e. Monday—Friday). If we have a day off,

for example, Monday or Friday or a PA Day then those lunches are not served on that day. Please also be aware that there will be no hot lunches served on inclement weather days. Please feel free to contact the office if you have any questions or need support in this matter.

Monday’s current pizza order will end on March 23rd. The new pizza order will

commence on March 30th. Please refer to our website for forms.

FRÉCHETTE GAZETTE Page 3

BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TEAMS Since December, the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have been training several times a week. Before school, after school and at most recesses, the gym was full of athletes striving to do their best. In the end, both groups of students became incredible teammates and grew in many ways. Neither team ever gave up, and participated in several after-school tournaments, learning new lessons all the way. A special congratulations to both teams who represented Fréchette at the Area Tournaments. Every member of our teams deserve much recognition for their dedication, hard work and support of one another over the past few months. Thanks for a great season!

CHESS CLUB Le Club d'Echecs / Chess Club: We continue to have Chess Club for all students in grades 3 to 8 , on cold weather days or rainy indoor days in the library during second recess. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or an expert, alone or with friends. Come once, every time, or as often as you like. Chess is a game of skill for all ages and fun for everyone! See you there!! Mme Williamson

MATH CLUB Need extra practice? Studying for a test? Want to finish your math homework? All students are invited to Math Club on Day 1 and 4 at 1:30pm in the library. M. Keen and Mme Williamson

JUNIOR CO-ED VOLLEYBALL TEAM

Congratulations to our 2015 Junior Co-ed Volleyball Team who received 4th in the Regional Fi-

nal. For most of our team, this was their first real experience playing competitive volleyball. Thank you to The Sharks, we are very proud of the strides they have made!

“Sharks, Sharks ooh ha ha!”

Coaches: Mr. Wayling and Mme Khan

BADMINTON TEAM Badminton has just started and many students have come to try out for the team. They are

putting forth a great effort and having great fun. All grade 7 and 8 students participated in a one

day double-elimination tournament in February. Those birdies were flying. Good Luck to all participants!

FRÉCHETTE GAZETTE Page 4

ElHealth Schools Committee

You’re the Chef Keep an eye out for the date. The program will is coming up in May keep checking the newsletter for more

details.

Milk Program The current milk order will end on March 25th. Look out for the new orders which should be going out

soon. NO late orders can be accepted!! Thanks for your cooperation.

BIG CRUNCH Fréchette will again be celebrating "The Big Crunch" during the week before the March Break. Ontario grown

apples will be eaten to celebrate healthy eating at school. Students will receive an apple and crunch together

with the whole school during our March assembly in the gym.

Get Caught From March 2 to 12, students will be encouraged to get caught eating fruits and vegetables for snack or lunch at

school. Students can earn points for their class mascots by eating healthy foods.

4 for Lunch March 2 to 6 is the week when many classes at LHF will be encouraged to bring healthy lunches which try to

include foods from each of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide. Students will plan lunches with

their parents and record how often they eat from the four food groups. This fun activity along

with lessons taught in class by the teacher will help our students make healthier choices about

what to eat for school lunches. Participating classes will have a chance to win a catered healthy

lunch. Meetings Next meeting: TBA

Any questions or to volunteer please contact Judy at email: jantecol@gmail.com.

The ECO-Update!

Tree Bee: Congratulations to the first ever LHF Tree Bee team made up of 7 students from

grade 4, 5 and 6 students. Our team divided into 3 smaller teams took first, second and third

place. Students participated in tests about their knowledge of Ontario trees and information about

forests, habitats and how our forests help communities. Students will use their new knowledge to

identify trees on the school grounds at Fréchette and share that knowledge with the students in

our school. We hope to take a bigger team to Tree Bee again next year!

Power Stream presentation: Danny from Power Stream did 4 assemblies in February to teach students

about electrical safety and conservation of electricity. Students from the Eco Team will use this presentation

as a kick-off for several campaigns in Fréchette to help students learn about conserving energy in

the school and at home and thinking about how reducing energy consumption can benefit the envi-

ronment. Also students wore warm sweaters to encourage energy conservation and the temperature in the

school was reduced slightly to save energy.

Also students were encouraged to bring boomerang or litterless lunches to school. Eco Team members are

visiting classes to remind students to sort out waste and to reduce the amount of waste at school.

FRÉCHETTE GAZETTE Page 5

Re: Student Bussing Eligibility Did you know that students’ bussing eligibility changes throughout their school career? Your son/daughter’s eligi-bility to ride the school bus may change according to their grade and distance from home to school. Below are the provisions for eligibility identified in the Board’s Transportation Policy #680: • All YRDSB students in Grades JK-3 who live within 1.2 km of their school are not eligible for transportation • All YRDSB students in Grades 4-8 who live within 1.6 km of their school are not eligible for transportation • All YRDSB students in Grades 9-12 who live within a transit served area are not eligible for transportation. To view Board Policy #680 Student Transportation, please visit www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca. For more information about bus transportation and to determine your son/daughter’s eligibility please visit www.schoolbuscity.com.

Please be advised that those students who fall under the above criteria will not be eligible for bussing as of March 19th, 2012.

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE LINE

The office needs your help. If your child is going to be late, absent or on vacation, you

MUST call the 24/hr attendance line and leave a message. You may or may not want to

leave a message with your child’s teacher, but the proper procedure is to leave a message

on the attendance line at 905-907-7884. Your call is very important to us.

EXTRA CHANGE OF CLOTHES AT SCHOOL

It’s already been a very long winter and it’s not over yet. There is a large

accumulation of snow and ice on the field and pavement of the school yard. Children love

to play in the snow and will get a little wet doing that. As the weather gets warmer, the

snow and ice will start to melt and that will make the yard a big sloppy mess.

Please provide your child/children with a change of clothes in a plastic bag,

(including, sweater, undershirt, pants, underpants and socks).

We appreciate your co-operation in this matter.

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS CALENDAR 2014/15

Many children have special events throughout the year such as birthday parties, Confirmations and Bar/Bat

Mitzvahs. If you would like to know about certain dates to support the planning of your own event, a par-

ent volunteer has offered to assist families by keeping an electronic calendar. Please feel free to email

Fabiana Szulsztein at fabiana@rogers.com if you need to know about certain dates, or would like to share

the date of your event for others’ planning purposes.

Please note that this calendar is entirely organized by parent volunteers. L.H. Fréchette assumes no

responsibility in the coordination or maintenance of this calendar.

FRÉCHETTE GAZETTE Page 6

TURN THE CLOCKS FORWARD THIS

WEEKEND

It’s that time of the year again where we

spring forward the clocks this weekend on

Sunday, March 8th at 2:00am.

REMEMBER:

SPRING FORWARD,

FALL BACK!!!

It is vital to have up to date information, if you have made any changes to your home, business or cell numbers or have a new address or emergency contacts please make sure that the office is informed. You may email the changes to either Mme Apa at rose.apa@yrdsb.ca or Mme Pupo at teresa.pupo@yrdsb.ca. Thank you.

Volunteers All volunteers who have direct contact with students MUST have a valid Police Vulnerable Sector

check. If you are planning to help on a field trip, drive students to athletic events, volunteer in the school,

etc., the Board now requires us to have volunteers submit a Police Vulnerable Sector report (even if you

have volunteered previously). Please get your police check as soon as possible as it sometimes takes sev-

eral weeks to process. Forms are available from the office.

Safety on Conley St. After School Your child’s safety is important to us! We would like to remind parents that

children should not be crossing Conley unless accompanied by an adult. Children

should enter vehicles from the sidewalk side of the vehicle, not on the road side to

avoid moving traffic. All parents/guardians who are picking up their students on Conley St. at the end of the day

are reminded that they can only park on the south side of Conley street. Parking on the

north side is against traffic laws because it impedes traffic flow and causes a potentially

dangerous situation for all concerned. Parents cannot pull into private driveways or block

access to them nor should they be making three-point turns during this busy time. The

police do come out and will be ticketing those who contravene these traffic laws. Children should be picked up promptly at 3:50pm. Children not picked up after 3:50pm

will be escorted to the front office to wait there. Please be reminded that our office closes

at 4:30pm. We thank you for your cooperation and help in this important matter.

Respect Responsibility Courage Compassion/Empathy Optimism Initiative/Independence Honesty Fairness/Integrity Perseverance Inclusiveness

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 Day 3

Pizza

Milk Dental Screening Gr. 2 & 8

3 Day 4

Soup/Chili

Dental Screening Gr. 2 & 8

4 Day 5

Chicken Fingers/Salad

Milk

5 Day 1

Chicken/Veal/Penne

6 Day 2

Sub Day

7

8 9 Day 3

Pizza

Milk

10 Day 4

Soup/Chili

CN Rail Presentation Gr. 6—8

11 Day 5

Chicken Fingers/Salad

Milk Day of Pink

Big CrunchAssembly Skating Gr. 1, 5, 4 & 6

12 Day 1

Chicken/Veal/Penne

Skating Gr. 3, 8, 2 & 7

13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 Day 2

Pizza (End of Order)

Milk

24 Day 3

Soup/Chili Lice Checks

25 Day 4

Chicken Fingers/Salad

Milk

26 Day 5

Chicken/Veal/Penne

27 Day 1

Sub Day

28

29 30 Day 2

Pizza (Start of New Order)

31 Day 3

Soup/Chili

March 2015

BUS ROUTES HOTLINE

1-877-330-3001

www.schoolbuscity.com

Perseverance

We stick to a goal and work hard even in the face of obstacles and

challenges. We complete all tasks and assignments.

CHANGE CLOCKS

St. Patrick’s Day SPRING BEGINS

International Day for the

Elimination of Racial

Discrimination

EARTH HOUR

International Women’s Day

HOLI

NAW RUZ

Updated: 27-Feb-15

MID-WINTER BREAK

PA/PT DAY

(No School)

Louis-Honoré Fréchette Public School

Tel: (905) 738-1724 Fax: (905) 738-4226

Website: http://louishonorefrechette.ps.yrdsb.ca

eMail: louis.honore.frechette.ps@yrdsb.ca