October 2014

Oct. 6 2014

Number 2

Important Dates 1

Principal’s Message 1

Key Messages from Peel 2,5-7

School Messages, EQAO 3

School Council Info 4

Settlement Services 4

Picture Day 4

Dental Screening 8

Calendar

Inside this issue:

Remember…

October 8: Chocolate Fundraiser Assembly

October 8: International Walk to School Day

October 9: Chocolates sent home

October 10: Ministry Day NO School

October 13: Thanksgiving Holiday NO School

October 17th: Photo Day

October 31: Halloween Assembly PM

McBride News

Principal—Phil Wilson Vice-Principal– Vinita Mongia

Superintendent– Shawn Moynihan 905-366-8800, ext 1308

Jeff White, Trustee, Ward 6, 905-276-0764 School Website:

http://schools.peelschools.org/1377

School Council Contact:

Chair: Sophia Hendrikx

Co-Chair: Cindy Slater-Drummond

mcbrideaveps.council@peelsb.com

Inspire. Greatness. Together.

Dear McBride Community, I hope this newsletter finds you well. It has been a terrific start to the school year and students have settled in nicely! I would like to thank all of the parents who participated in our first school council/election meeting on October 1st. It was great to see so many parents interested in contributing to the McBride community. The following people have been elected/nominated to the school council: Chairperson – Sophia Hendrikx Co-Chair – Cindy Stater-Drummond Treasurer – Smruti Kalyanpur

Members at Large - Kaustubh Bailoor, Donald Drummond, Lisa Skeete, Leanna Stater, Katherine Chang

I look forward to working with our council with the goal of providing more outstanding academic and extra-curricular opportunities for our students. Our next meeting is on Wednesday November 19th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. All McBride parents are invited to attend. The scores for our EQAO testing has been shared with all schools. On page 3 you will

be able to see the results of the 2013-14 year.

On October 10th, our staff will be engaging in Professional Development focused on Nu-meracy. Teachers will be examining effective Math instruction and assessment as part

of the Board’s Comphrensive Numeracy Strategy.

Congratulations to all of our students and staff for raising over $1100 for the Terry Fox

Foundation! This is way more than we have raised in past years!

As always, feel free to see me if you have any concerns or questions.

Peace,

Mr. Wilson

McBride School 465 Students 40 Staff 1 goal… Be the Difference

Page 2

Visit McBride’s website Want to keep up to date with what’s happening at McBride? Check out our school website where you'll find: http://schools.peelschools.org/1377/Pages/default.aspx

the latest school news

contact information for school administration, superinten-

dent 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 ser-

vice. 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 opportuni-ties. 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.

Subscribe to receive news from the Peel board

Take advantage of our electronic subscription service to auto-matically receive a list of activities by email on a monthly basis. Subscriptions are sent the last week of the month, plus bonuses throughout the year. Subscribing is easy- just visit our website at www.peelschools.org and click on the subscription link under "Quick Links." You can also subscribe to receive: News releases Keep up with the news at the Peel board. Subscribe to receive Peel board news releases to learn more about board news and school events. Board agendas Learn more about Peel board meetings by subscribing to receive agendas. Meetings of the board are open to the public and are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Board highlights Briefing is a newsletter with highlights of decisions made by trus-tees at board meetings. It is sent out on the second and fourth

Thursday of every month and immediately following any special board meetings.

Job postings for non-teaching staff Learn about each new non-teaching job that is posted on the

Peel board's Job Board.

International Walk to School Month

According to the 2011 Active Healthy Kids Canada Re-port Card, 93 per cent of children and youth are not meeting Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. These declining activity levels are linked to obesity, illness and chronic diseases (i.e., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer). Using active transportation for the school journey is one of the easiest ways for students to get regular daily physical activity. Managing time to allow for the walk or bike ride to school will become a positive habit that leads to children arriving on time, refreshed and ener-gized for the school day. In fact, University of Illinois re-search has found that just 20 minutes of easy walking boosts performance in the areas of the brain that sup-port math and reading achievement. Walking to school also helps out the environment. Elimi-nating just four short trips per week can reduce emis-sions by up to 100 kg of carbon dioxide per year. Fami-lies that participate in active travel to school can prevent almost 1,000 kg of carbon dioxide per year and save money in fuel costs as well. Also, when more children walk to school and fewer parents drive their children, the areas near school zones become safer for pedestrians. That is why our school will be participating in Interna-tional Walk to School Month on October 8. On that day—and throughout the month, if you can—walk, bike, blade, scooter, skip or hop to school….but don’t drive! International Walk to School month is part of the Active & Safe Routes to School program. Visit www.saferoutestoschool.ca/ for more information.

Celebrate World Teacher Appreciation Day

Sunday, October 5, 2014: Since 1994, parents and students from around the world have celebrated World Teacher Appreciation Day to commemorate the work of teachers and their contributions to society. During the week of October 5, take the time to let your child's teacher know he or she is truly appreciated. Thank your child's teacher and let them know they are making a

difference.

Page 3 Intramurals Intramurals will run every week Monday to Thursdays. In

an effort to have all students involved and active, every stu-

dent in grades 1-6 will be assigned to a team. If the student

does not participate it is their choice. Primary classes will

participate on Monday and Wednesdays according to their

schedule, and juniors will participate on Tuesdays and

Thursdays.

Students will be placed on teams and will experience a vari-

ety of sports over the course of the year.

In addition to intra-

murals, Mrs. Hatton

will have tryouts for

various sports teams

over the course of

the school year. The

Grade 4/5 soccer

team has just com-

peted in their first tournament!!

In school success news...our 2013-2014 EQAO results Grade 3

Grade 6

There are numerous ways to explore EQAO data. One piece of data that the McBride community can be proud of is our work over time. When we look at the 2013-2014 grade 6 EQAO scores we can see that these students have made sig-nificant gains since they were in grade 3. The following chart shows their grade 3 scores and the gains they have made.

Individual results will be sent home with students next week for your reference.

Reading Writing Math

McBride

58%

Peel

71%

Province

70%

McBride

73%

Peel

78%

Province

78%

McBride

73%

Peel

66%

Province

67%

Reading Writing Math

McBride

86%

Peel

78%

Province

79%

McBride

86%

Peel

79%

Province

78%

McBride

66%

Peel

52%

Province

54%

Reading Writing Math

Was 67% in grade 3....

Now is 86% in grade 6.

**an increase of 19% over three

years.

Was 69% in grade 3...

Now is 86% in grade 6.

** an increase of 17% over three

years.

Was 64% in grade 3…

Now is 66% in grade 6.

**an increase of 2% in three years.

Team McBride 2nd Annual Run for the Cure

Congrats to the

staff who walked

to raise money for

cancer research

on Oct. 5th at

UTM. A great

turn out by the

McBride Team.

“We Inspire”

Student Leadership Our student council is well on it’s way, with representation from all

junior classes! Class reps will have the opportunity to take action in

a variety of school wide initiatives including Spirit Squad, Yearbook,

Huddle Up, Me to We and monthly climate themes. Eco monitors

are also invited to take a role in our green school initiatives!

McBride Avenue P.S.

974 McBride Ave.

Mississauga, ON

L5C 1L6

Phone: 905 270-6414

Fax: 905 270-0163

Safe Arrival: 905 270-3442

http://schools.peelschools.org/1377

twitter.com/mcbrideaveps

Safe Arrival

Please remember to call the safe arrival line if your child is absent

from school - 905-270-3442. If your child is

away from school and we have not received a

phone call from you, we will be calling your

home/business to confirm your child's absence.

Remember, this procedure is in place to keep

your child safe!

School Council News! We had our first school council meeting on Octo-

ber 1st are pleased to have new families join our

team! Please join us at our next meeting on

November 19th 6-7:30 pm

Our first major event this year is the chocolate

fundraiser! Our kick off assembly will take

place on Wednesday October 8th. Kids who

choose to participate will be bringing the box of

chocolates home on October 9th. Please read

the letter to check out the amazing prizes we

have lined up! Any parents who are able to help

with the behind the scenes work, please contact

Sophia Hendrikx at hendrikx@rogers.com.

Settlement Services The Multicultural, Settlement and Education Partnership (MSEP) helps newcomer parents and student successfully integrate into their school and community. MSEP provides settlement services to newcomer families in different languages.

Ms. Lily Ye is the Settlement Worker in McBride. She can be reached at (905)609-4115

JOB FAIR: When: Tuesday October 21st from 2:30-

5:00pm Where: the Mississauga Valley Community Centre - 1275 Mississauga Valley Boulevard in the L.C. Taylor Auditorium The Employers attending: RBC, Goodlife Fitness, Bell, T & T Supermarket, Region of Peel, Trillium Health Centre and many more! There will be over 15 employers present! What to bring: Your resume, a list of references and your best dressed self! DIAL A STORY: Toronto Public Library recently

added Russian stories to the Dial A Story (416-395-5400) phone line.

Dial A Story provides stories for younger children (7 and under) and for older children (up to 12) 24 hours a day. Stories rotate on a daily basis so children hear a differ-ent story every day. The free service is now available in 13 languages, including English, French, Cantonese, Gujarati, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Somali, Tamil, Urdu and Rus-sian.

Picture Day!

Picture day will be on

October 17th.

Re-take and class photos day

will be on November 5th.

Have you read our sign lately? A special thanks to the students in Mrs. Lang’s class for taking the initiative to create our messages to the com-munity on our front sign. Keep an eye out for special quotes, dates, upcoming events and more!

“Reading is to the mind like exercise is to the body”

Tips for being a smart trick-or-treater

Halloween is a fun and exciting time, but safety should be the

number one concern. Here are some safety tips for children:

Wear a properly fitted costume that is bright and non-flammable. Use reflective tape on your costume so you

can be seen in the dark.

Use face makeup or enlarge the eyes on your mask so you can see well. When wearing a mask, push it up on

your head while walking.

Teach children to visit the front door of well lit homes

and never go inside.

Help your child plan a route and a time to be home.

Remind children to always walk on the sidewalk, and

obey traffic and pedestrian signals.

Have an adult check treats at home before allowing

children to eat them.

Younger children should go trick-or-treating with an adult. Older children are re-minded to trick-or-treat in

groups.

Oct. 29 opportunity to say 'thanks' to bus

drivers

Peel schools will pay tribute to bus drivers on Bus Driver Ap-preciation Day on Oct. 29. The day will be celebrated with spe-cial activities and events that provide teachers, students and parents an opportunity to thank the people who safely transport over 36,000 students to and from school each day. If your child rides the bus to school, take this opportunity to thank the bus driver for his or her contribution and ask your child to do so too. The Peel board appreciates the important job bus drivers do each school day and Oct. 29 provides an opportunity to give these individuals the recognition they de-

serve.

Prevent the flu.

It’s in your hands Hand washing is the most important way to prevent the spread of infection. Always wash your hands

with soap and water when they are dirty.

Clean your hands before:

touching your eyes, nose or mouth

touching/preparing food or drinks

eating or drinking Caring for someone in your home who can easily get sick (baby, elderly or someone who has an unhealthy

immune system).

Clean your hands after:

touching pets or other animals

touching raw meat, particularly chicken

touching surfaces such as a railing or grocery cart

touching money

touching objects sick people have touched

touching blood or body fluids such as urine, vomit or feces

contact with those who have a cold, the flu, diarrhea or virus of any kind

changing diapers

wiping your own or a child’s nose

sneezing or coughing

using a facial tissue

using the washroom

removing gloves

Cleaning

Gardening What to do when you cough or sneeze:

cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your

sleeve

put used tissues in the wastebasket clean your hands with soap and water or a hand sanitizer

For more information call Peel Health at 905-799-7700 or visit www.peelregion.ca/flu.

Time for school - A parent’s guide to regular school attendance Elementary school is a wonderful time in the life of a child, a time of great strides in learning and in social and emotional development. Many things affect your child’s success, from the quality of his or her teachers, to the makeup of the class.

One of the most important factors is your child’s regular and timely attendance.

Getting to class on time, and avoiding absences, are critical if your child is to get the most out of school. It seems obvi-ous. But the fact is that elementary students tend to miss and average of eight or more school days during the year. What

can you as a parent do to help ensure your child’s proper attendance?

Is your child missing more? Why does attendance matter? First, understand that getting to school–every day and on time–matters at every level, perhaps even more so in elemen-tary school. That’s because important learning occurs daily, right from the start of class. And because you establish pat-terns early on. By being punctual and responsible, children are acquiring positive habits about school attendance. Some

other things to consider:

By being late, children miss important social time with their peers before school begins. Students who are late often feel embarrassed or self-conscious. Late arrivals can disrupt the routine of the classroom. A last-minute rush can be stressful for the child, and get her to school in the wrong frame of mind. Missing even five or 10 minutes of the day can make it harder for the student to understand the material being

taught. Frequent absenteeism leads to gaps in a child’s skills and knowledge base, cause the child to fall behind his peers

and hurt his self-esteem. Too many missed school days can increase isolation, as the child stands out from her classmates and misses op-

portunities to develop socially. Absenteeism makes it tougher for the child to develop a good rapport with the teachers. When Time is Ticking Few homes run like clockwork. The morning routine, especially, can be a mad scramble. But there are effective

strategies for getting your little one up and out the door on time. Get your child to bed at a reasonable hour. Set realistic and consistent schedules and rules at home. Getting ready for school should be part of the child’s

overall routine, something that’s expected of him every day. The night before school, do whatever is necessary to shave time in the morning, such as setting out clothes, pack-

ing lunch, and setting schoolbags at the door. Have a set morning routine that the child can easily follow, i.e washing hands and face, going to the bathroom, dressing,

making the bed, brushing teeth, and eating a healthy breakfast. Avoid any distractions that can slow the child down, like TV or games. If you’re running late regularly, set your alarm to get up earlier.

Is it a sick day? Children do get sick sometimes – they are still developing natural resistance to certain infections, their hygiene behaviours are still developing and germs spread more easily in a classroom. So some missed school is unavoidable, for the child’s own well-being, and the protection of her classmates. But there are ways to cut down on sick days.

Teach your child about proper handwashing, after going to the bathroom, playing outside or wiping his nose. Follow other healthy habits, from eating nutritious food to getting enough sleep. Some symptoms make school attendance uncomfortable, like a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. But if you’re unsure

whether your child is sick enough to miss school, talk to your doctor.

Some children pretend to be sick to avoid school. Ask yourself is the child’s symptoms are vague, (i.e. a headache, upset

stomach, fatigue), if your child tends to miraculously recover just after school starts or ends, or if the illness is happening

Continuing Education International Languages program for K-12 students

The opportunity to study a language in addition to English and French can benefit all students, society in general and an

increasingly independent world, including:

Students with no prior knowledge of a particular language;

Students whose first language is English or French and who wish to study their home languages as a second or third

language;

Students whose first language is their home language.

The International Languages program is based on Oral Communications, Reading and Writing in languages other than

English or French. Grammar and Language knowledge are incorporated into each of the three skill areas.

Any student who is currently enrolled in a Peel District School Board elementary or secondary school is eligible to attend.

Classes operate each Saturday from September 20, 2014 to June 13, 2015, except for holiday weekends and school vacations. Credit classes are 3.5 per day and run from 9:00am to 12:30pm. Elementary classes are 2.5 hours per day

and run from 10:00am to 12:30pm.

Registration begins in mid-August and runs until March Break for elementary classes and until October 16, 2014 for credit classes. In partnership with School-day, Continuing Education offers an online, cashless registration process.

Please visit the website at www.peelschools.org/conted/il for further information.

How to prevent litter at school Did you know that litter is a safety hazard, discourages develop-ment, lowers property values and costs money? According to the Region of Peel, litter can attract animals and insects, harm pets and serve as a breeding ground for disease.

Here are some tips for reducing waste at school:

Provide your child with a litter-less lunch which could contain:

refillable water bottlereturnable, reusable or refillable drink containers instead of plastic bottles and canssnacks and

sandwiches stored in plastic containers

fruit that requires no wrap such as bananas, apples, oranges

Put trash in the appropriate container. If a recycling bin isn't available, ask where you can find one and hold on to gar-

bage until you can dispose of it properly.

Reduce and reuse as much as you can before you recycle.

Reuse plastic bags, the other side of a sheet of paper etc.

If you see litter, pick it up! Set a good example. Don't be a litterbug.

Take part in neighbourhood cleanups - litter prevention re-quires the community to work together.

Peel Board Advantage Educa-tion Fair on Oct. 25

If you live in Mississauga, plan to attend the Peel Board Advantage Education Fair at Missis-sauga Secondary School on Oct. 25. Drop by between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to learn about our middle school and secondary school program-ming in Mississauga. Staff and students will be available to answer questions about the schools’

academic and extracurricular programs.

The day will also include student musical per-formances and sport games in the gymnasium.

Snacks will be provided.

For schools in Brampton/Caledon

If you live in Brampton or Caledon, plan to attend the Peel Board Advantage Education Fair at Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School on Nov. 8. Drop by between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to learn about our middle schools with regional programs and secondary

schools in Brampton and Caledon.

Peel Public Health provides dental screening in Peel elementary schools as required by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

A Registered Dental Hygienist will be visiting your child’s school to provide dental screening in select grades.

What is a Dental Screening?

A dental screening is a quick visual check of a child’s mouth.

Dental screening consists of a look in the mouth using a separate, sterilized mouth mirror for each child.

You will only be notified if your child requires dental care. Your child will bring home an important letter about their dental care needs. If you cannot afford to take your child to the dentist, your child may be eligible for Peel Public Health Oral Health Programs.

A dental screening does not replace regular dental visits.

If you DO NOT wish to have your child participate in the dental screening, fill in the School Screening Exemption form (which will be given out by your child’s teacher), and give completed form to your child’s teacher.

For more information, call Peel Public Health at 905-799-7700 or visit www.peelregion.ca/dental