cation. (from: http://

www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/

parents/involvement/ )

One way to be involved at

school is to attend our

monthly Parent Council meet-

ings. As a school council

member, you can help your

council discover new and

exciting ways to contribute to

the education of students in

our school.

Welcome to Markham Gate-

way P.S. We look forward to

a great year of learning ahead

for all of our students, and

encourage all of our families

to be actively involved in our

school.

Parent engagement matters.

Study after study has shown

us that student achievement

improves when parents play

an active role in their chil-

dren's education, and that

good schools become even

better schools when parents

are involved. It is recognized

that parent engagement is a

key factor in the enhancement

of student achievement and

well-being.

Students are more likely to be

motivated, to earn higher

grades, to have better behav-

iour and social skills, and to

continue their education to a

higher level when their parents

are actively engaged in sup-

porting their success at school.

It is equally important to recog-

nize that parent involvement

takes many forms.

serving on school councils

and Parent Involvement Com-

mittees (PICs)

volunteering for field trips

and school activities

making sure there is a

quiet place set aside to do

homework,

helping with homework

meeting with teachers talking to your child about their

day at school. These are all examples of en-

gaged parents, they are all con-

tributing to their children's edu-

Across Ontario, schools work towards achieving EcoSchools certification. EcoSchools cer-tification provides a rigorous province-wide set of criteria that assess achievement of environmentally responsible actions and environmental learning. Engagement in Eco-Schools reflects a school com-munity’s commitment to the

environment. There are 4 levels of EcoSchools certification: bronze, silver, gold and plati-num. At MGPS, we have worked hard to achieve a Bronze Certification, and we are now going to challenge ourselves to go for gold! Over the next few weeks we will establish our EcoTeam and begin the work. Using the

guidelines, we will work to reduce waste, conserve en-ergy, green our grounds, and foster environmental leader-ship within our school com-munity. We invite parents to be a part of our team. If you are interested , please con-tact the school, we need your help if we are going to achieve our goal.

Next Parent Council

October 24

6:00—7:00 pm in the Library

See you there!

Council Executive 2013

Lisa Volpe-Brehaspatt—Chair

Ratna Muralitharan—Treasurer

Elaine Bernard—Secretary

Principal’s Message

Parent Involvement Leads To Student Success

Going for Gold!

MGPS Newsletter

F O L L O W U S O N T W I T T E R @ M A R K H A M G A T E W A Y

I M P O R T A N T D A T E S

Oct 2—Student Council Speeches and

Elections

Oct 8—Area Cross Country Meet

Oct 11—PA Day, no school for stu-

dents

Oct 14—Thanksgiving holiday, school

closed

Oct 17—Regional Cross Country

Finals

Oct 21-26—Celebrate Character

Community Week

Oct 21-27—Waste Reduction Week

Oct 24—Parent Council Meeting

Oct 28—Theatre Performance of

“Wired” for Grades 5-8 in gym

Oct 31—Pizza Lunch & Halloween

Primary Parade of Costumes

H O L I D A Y S &

O B S E R V A N C E S

Oct 5 Navaratri

Oct 6—World Communion Day

Oct 14—Thanksgiving, Day of Haj

(Day of Arafat)

Oct 15—Eid-ul-Adha

Oct 20—The Birth of the Bab

Oct 24—Pavarana

Oct 25—Kathina

Oct 31—Samhain

Navarati is a nine day celebration.

This festival marks the victory of good

over evil.

Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated in Muslim

communities throughout the world. It is

a time marked by special prayers and

many Muslims gather for special prayer

services. Many people also visit family

and friends, exchange greetings and

gifts. Eid-ul-Adha is also a time for

forgiveness and compassion, and is also

know as the Festival if Sacrifice. Families

make donations to the poor and needy

as an act of thanksgiving for God’s

forgiveness. and

Home of the Titans

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3

P A G E 2 M G P S N E W S L E T T E R

Message from our Trustee

I am very pleased to welcome our new and

returning families as we start another school

year. I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoy-

able summer, and feel refreshed and energized.

There is a lot to look forward to in the first few months of

school, and I hope you will find an opportunity to get involved in

some way. Partnerships with families are essential, not only to

student achievement and well-being, but also to creating a posi-

tive, caring and supportive school environment in which students

can thrive.

There are many ways you can get involved and support your

child’s education from communicating with your child’s teacher

and asking your child about what they are learning to volunteer-

ing in the school or participating in the school council.

Thanks to your support and the hard work and commitment of

our staff, students, families and community partners, we continue

to be one of the top performing school boards in Ontario.

As an elected trustee and an advocate for high quality public

education, I am committed to ensuring the highest quality public

education possible for our students and their families. In the

coming year, we will continue our focus on the priorities set out

in our Multi-Year Plan: student achievement and well-being, the

delivery of effective and appropriate educational programs and

the responsible stewardship of Board resources.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact

me by email at Juanita.nathan@yrdsb.edu.on.ca or by phone at

416-885-3479. If you would like to be kept informed about vari-

ous initiatives or topics that relates to your child’s education and

well being, please send me your email address and I would be

happy to keep in touch with you on a regular basis.

I hope you have a great start to the school year and wish you all

the best for 2013-14.

Juanita Nathan

Trustee | York Region District School Board – Area 4

Town of Markham – Ward 7&8

416 885 3479 Juanita.Nathan@yrdsb.edu.on.ca

A Message from Our Trustee

Please sign up for our E Newsletter at the school website,

www.markhamgateway.ps.yrdsb.edu.on.ca. You will have to

click on the “Subscribe to our Mail List”

button on the homepage of the web-

site. When you click on it, you will be

prompted with further directions. You

can unsubscribe at any time. We will NOT distribute your email

to any other lists.

It is a new system this year so you will have to sign up again

even if you received them last year through your email. When

you sign up, you will receive a notification with a link that will

take you to our website so your inbox will not be filled with the

newsletter itself.

You can also get our newsletter from the school website if you

don’t have your own email. Please support us in our effort to

reduce paper from the school and keep our school GREEN!

Sign up for our E Newsletter!

Markham Gateway has created a Twitter account for families

to follow and get the latest about upcoming events, important

news items, and to read about the great things going on in our

school.

Follow Us on Twitter at:

@MarkhamGateway

Follow Markham Gateway on Twitter

Pizza Lunch Dates for 2013/14

October 31 Last Thursday of the Month

November 28

December 19

January 31

February 27

March 27

April 24

May 29 and June 19

Character Awards for September—Respect CourageFairnessHonestyInitiativeOptimismPerseveranceRespectResponsibilityIntegrityEmpathy

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a certificate to recognize their efforts in demonstration Respect within

our school community. Each month we will recognize students’ efforts to model our monthly character traits. Mustafa S., Yaser A.,

Ricky S., Alyssa N., Shara B., Shazim F., Zain M., Ammarah A., Sarah C., Kavisan R., Eshal A., Tusher S., Arani R., Nithyan S.,

Shyana P., Sarah M., Alex H., Shivani T., Athavan Y., Anesh T., Haarini S., Mutaza S., Sabeeh A., Sana A., Abrar K., Pravya P.,

Joel B., Julia R., Maham K., Erwin Z., Andy G., Zulfa O., Harjaap B., Thayanika R., Inthuja S., Joellyne E., Shiv M., Aatikah T.

P A G E 3 M G P S N E W S L E T T E R

It’s time to remind children about being safe in our community.

With the start of another school year, it’s a good time for parents to remind children about personal safety. Here's what children need to know:

Their name, age, telephone number, address, city and province. This can be done through rhyme or song.

How to contact their parents at any time, by memorizing cell or work numbers.

How and under what circumstances to call 911.

To never approach or enter a stranger's vehicle. A responsi-ble adult would never ask a child for directions or any other question for that matter.

Make sure they know they have a right to say "no" to an adult, especially when the adult is asking them to do something they have been taught is wrong or feels uncomfortable. Re-minding children of this right is important because children are taught from a young age to respect adults.

To always tell parents where they will be and to never enter someone's home without their parent's permission.

If home alone, never admit it when answering the phone. Never answer a knock at the door or speak through it. Adults can be very persuasive. Teach your child to call you if there is a knock at the door and if they fear for their safety, teach them to call 911. Make sure they know that police officers are there to help them and would not get mad if it were a false alarm.

If they think they are being followed or are in danger they should run home or to a public place. If someone grabs them, they should try to get away, yelling and screaming while doing so. It is important to play in safe areas, never take shortcuts and stick with a buddy whenever possible. It is never too early or too late to teach children the importance of personal safety. Common sense, communication and consis-tency are the keys. Remind children to alert a responsible adult if something strange happens that makes them feel uncomfort-able. Remember, crime prevention is everyone's responsibility. For more information on this subject, visit www.yrp.ca.

Safety Counts!

It has been wonderful to welcome so

many new and returning

families to the Markham Gateway Par-

enting and Family Literacy Centre in

September. At the Markham Gateway

PFLC, families can play, learn, sing,

and read together with Carlene, the

new Parent Worker.

One of the favourite activities each day is the time that families

spend making a nutritious snack together. This snack includes a

fruit or vegetable, a protein like cheese or humus and a carbohy-

drate like crackers or bread. Once a week, we even try cooking

together - making things like apple crisp, and yogurt parfaits.

We hope you will be able to join us any time between

8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Monday to Friday in Room 127.

There is no registration and no cost for the program.

Parent Worker: Carlene Nembhard

Open: Every school day between 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

No cost or registration required. Snacks are provided for

the children

Positive Parenting TIP

Cooking is a wonderful way to spend positive time with our

children. According to the dieticians at

York Region Public Health:

“Kids that plan, shop, cook and eat with their families en-

joy benefits that go beyond nutrition. Families that eat meals and snacks together usually eat more vegetables

and fruit, drink less pop and eat less junk food. Children also tend to have more self-confidence and stronger lan-

guage skills and teens are less likely to engage in risky

behaviours.“ For young children, cooking helps them to learn new words and

concepts needed for reading. They can develop their small

muscle strength and coordination needed for writing and they

can learn important problem solving and measuring skills

needed for math.

For more information about how you can

“Cook Up Some Fun” in your home, please

go to

http://www.york.ca/nutrition and click on

Parent Family Literacy Center (PFLC)

Community Board

Check out our Community and Parent Informa-tion bulletin board outside our office for ongoing news and information around resources within our school community and Markham / York Re-gion.

P A G E 4 M G P S N E W S L E T T E R

First Day of School—September 3

Me 2 We Day Terry Fox