GORDON PUBLIC SCHOOL, 468 Thorold Road West, Welland ON, L3C 3W6 MARCH 2018

T. D’Alessandro Principal

905-734-3730

K. Kiemele Vice-Principal 905-734-3730

Dear Parents, Well, it certainly has been a challenging winter to say the least. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we may have an early and warm arrival of spring. Our math focus this year continues to be spatial reasoning along with problem solving skills. Please ask and encourage your child(ren) to embrace some spatial challenges at home. Playing chess, doing puzzles, rubics cubes and forms of tetras are all activities that will help, our children and ourselves to improve. On a personal note, it has been almost five full years since I arrived at Gordon. I have been so impressed with the commitment to Gordon by the students, staff and community. This is truly a special place and I could not be more proud to be a Grizzly! Thank you so much for your continued support both personally and professionally. Sincerely, Tony D'Alessandro Proud Principal of Gordon Public School

March

Is:

PERSEVERANCE

Month

GORDON PUBLIC SCHOOL 468 Thorold Road West, Welland ON, L3C 3W6 MARCH 2019

ON SATURDAY MARCH 10TH ****************************

We will be having our annual French Winter Carnaval. All students will be participating in indoor and outdoor activities all day on March 8th. A croissant and hot chocolate snack will be provided. Please come dressed for the weather, ready to have fun and experience French culture!

JANUARY RECOGNITION RECIPIENTS

Class TEACHER CHARACTER - CARING ACADEMIC

1-1 Mrs. Gaspich Lewis B Colton L

2-1 Mrs. Guitard Hailie B-D Ella F

1-1 FI Mme Sauve Leian C Chase F

1-2FI Mr. Verwey/Mme. Demers Quade R Benjamin A

3 FI Mme. Stickles Yoona A John M

2/3 Ms. Degelman Ethan M & Samuel W Connor K

2-1 FI Mme. Benson Kyle N Chase F

3-1 Mrs. Knockaert Brooklyn B Katharine Mc

3/4F Mme. Chatel Hillerie B Abigail A

4-1 Ms. Moore Ava D & Leland T Liam P & Kaylee D

4/5 FI Mme. Gardiner Kali C Erica L

5-1 Mrs. Slaght Izabelle R Jia K

5/6 Mrs. McClay Owen H & Nathan P Brianna M

6/7 FI Mrs. Timlock Jessica R Kloe M

6/7 Mrs. Bendlis Jordan G, Aya F, Fatima F, JJ W Jordan G

7/8 FI Mr. Munderich Ayden M Evynn B

7-1 Mr. Charles Delantay H-N Matthew G

8-1 Mr. Costantini Abigail A Adam S

French Ms. Naik

EXTRA CLOTHES We highly recommend parents to provide extra socks and perhaps pants and shoes during this time of year. Although we try to make appropriate decisions not to let the students play in the field when it is extremely wet, sometimes accidents happen. Providing students with an extra set of clothing will eliminate calls home and interruptions at work.

BELL TIMES GORDON’S school day begins at 8:50 A.M. We are noticing an increase in late arrivals to school. When students are late they are missing out on valuable classroom time and it is also disruptive to the students in class. We appreciate your support in having students arrive at school on time.

The Intermediate boys basketball team had a long, but memorable season. Their dedication and work was evident at every early morning practice, and they again stunned the crowds at the DSBN tournament, defeating Harriot Tubman, Senator Gibson and Forestview, before ultimately falling in the semi-finals to Power Glen. Being a semifinalist in the A Division DSBN Basketball Tournament is no small feat, and the boys did it with kindness, respect and class. Congratulations to: Achilles P, Kian M, Mikail R, Ethan N, Nathan S, Jake V, J.J. W, Mitchell M, Colby, D Alex B, Isaac W, Dylan L and Cameron L. Very proud of you boys. Way to go!!!!

MAKING SAFE LUNCHES AT HOME

Packing lunches for school takes time and energy but taking the time to follow these tips could prevent a foodborne illness in your family.

CLEAN Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water before preparing any meal. Make sure you routinely clean countertops, utensils and any lunchboxes or lunch bags. Raw fruits or vegetables can be contaminated with bacteria. Wash them with clean water and a scrub brush before eating.

KEEP COLD FOOD COLD Foods like meat, chicken, seafood, eggs and dairy products must stay cold to stay safe. Use frozen freezer packs to keep food at or below 4°C (40°F). Use an insulated lunch box/bag and keep it away from heat sources. Place freezer packs between food that needs to stay cold. Refrigerate items the night before to get your lunch box/bag off to a cool start.

KEEP HOT FOOD HOT Hot food must stay hot at above 60°C (140°F). Use insulated containers and keep them closed until ready to eat or take your food cold and reheat it in a microwave.

Please keep in mind that any leftover food items coming home in your child’s back pack can carry bacteria or have the ability to support bacterial growth. These bacteria can grow rapidly to harmful levels when food safety precautions are not followed. If these items have not been properly stored, place them in your green bin, do not consume them.

Our recent Open House was a huge success! We are continuing to accept registrations for Kindergarten.

If you know anyone that has a child turning 4 or 5 in 2019, we’d love to welcome them to our Gordon family!

March 11—15

No school Enjoy your week

:)

March is Nutrition Month

Fruits and veggies are not only absolutely delicious

but they are nature’s fast food! Ready to eat and

most come in their own “to-go” packages, produce

makes the perfect snack for kids to grab and

go. They need minimal to no preparation and buying

ones in season means you can save some money

and shop smarter.

Think you can’t get much produce on a tight budget?

Here are some tips to make shopping for produce more easy and affordable:

Don’t shop when you’re hungry and carry a list. You’ll be more likely to stick to your budget and nutritious food choices.

Look for washed and bagged salads, baby carrots, celery hearts, broccoli and cauliflower crowns, cherry tomatoes, and shredded cabbage in your grocery store.

Buy fresh produce, like peaches or bananas, in varying degrees of ripeness to al-low for some ripening towards the end of the week.

Canned and frozen vegetables can be convenient choices. Spend most of your time in the produce, bread, meat and dairy sections. Use store flyers to help you find specials. See more at: http://www.halfyourplate.ca/produce-is-affordable

Forty Grizzlies in grades 3 to 7 took part in the Gordon Knitting Club this year. Over the course of 4 months, students met in groups during their breaks to learn the art of knitting and to work on various projects such as scarves, bracelets, coasters, dish cloths, pouches, headbands, etc. Mrs. Guitard is proud of everyone’s commitment and hard work. Well done Grizzlies! Hope to see everyone out again next year!

SICK CHILDREN

When to keep your child at home. Please keep your child at home and away from others if he or she has any of these symptoms: • Fever

• Diarrhea • Vomiting • Rash • Frequent coughing or sneezing • Yellow or green discharge from the nose,

ears, or eyes • Sore throat

Contact your family doctor for advice about care and treatment. For more information, talk to your school nurse or go to www.niagararegion.ca/

Important Dates to Remember April 5– Assembly @ 11:30 a.m.. April 2-23 Mad Science (on Tuesdays) April 17– Hep B– Grade 7 April 19-Good Friday-NO SCHOOL April 22–Easter Monday-NO SCHOOL April 24– Pink Shirt day

Mindfulness The ability to learn and train ourselves to pay attention to one thing at a time. To practice in pay-ing attention in the here and now and be more observant of our thoughts. Our students are learning exercise for the mind that are simple ,quick and can be use both at school and home. They build resilience, better concentration and awareness of their emotions and to reduce mind wandering. These mindful exercise are very useful in our Zones of Regulations classroom and are part of the calming down strategies.

The Caring Classroom The Caring Classroom is a program that builds our classroom as a caring community and that we are all different with different per-sonalities, likes and tastes. It helps us to understand the importance of cooperation, Growth Mindset, Person space and Empathy for each other.