We hope that you have all had a fantastic and relaxing summer! On behalf of the staff, I would like to welcome all of our returning students and families back for another exciting year at Holland Land-ing P.S. As well, I would also like to extend a warm greeting to the students and families who are new to our school. It is wonderful to feel the positive energy now that all of our students have returned.

We are pleased to introduce several staff members who have joined our staff this year: Ms. Mous-manis (ASD), Ms. Walterhouse (CYW), Mrs. Foster (SERT), Ms. Lisi (Grade 4/5), Ms. Pulchinski (French), Mrs. MacKay (Grade 5/6), Mrs. Dallaire (Library & RR), Mrs. Roberts (DECE), Ms. McGinn (DECE) and Ms.Waye (ADH). Finally, we are very happy to welcome back Mrs. Novoa to the ASD classroom.

The school is already bustling this September, with many exciting learning and extra-curricular activi-ties already underway. Our focus this year will continue to be on the creation of a warm and welcom-ing school environment where students, staff, parents and the community can learn and grow to-gether. Academically, we will be focusing on assessing our students as they learn in order to provide them with instruction that will support their learning needs. Literacy and Numeracy continue to be a focus, with these skills being carried across other curriculum areas. As well, Learning Skills and Charac-ter Education will continue to be a mainstay of our classroom programs to support all students in de-veloping important habits that will facilitate their learning throughout all grades.

We have launched a green bin program at the school this year, and are asking students to ensure that they compost any bio waste from their lunches. As well, we are asking that students bring “boomerang lunches” to school, which means any other waste (wrappers, straws, containers) boomer-ang back home with the students. This is part of our Ontario EcoSchools initiatives aimed at promot-ing environmentally sound practices and reducing our school’s carbon footprint. We hope that you will assist us in reinforcing this with your child(ren).

We would like to encourage our students and parents to walk to school. Please join us in engaging our students in an active start to the day, while helping to keep our driveway and bus route safe. With the large numbers of younger students in our school, physical safety is always a primary concern.

We look forwards to seeing you all at the annual Meet the Teacher Evening later in the month. Please watch for the flyer this coming week with additional details.

Matthew Biemiller—Principal

Principal’s Message

School Organization 2014-15

FDK: Mrs. Telford and Mrs. Roberts

SK/1: Mrs. Campbell and Ms. McGinn

Grade 1/2: Mrs. Williams

Grade 3/4: Mrs. Evans-Milak

Grade 4/5: Ms. Lisi

Grade 5/6: Mrs. MacKay

Grade 6/7: Mrs. Giglio

Gr. 7/8 Mr. Federovich

Community Class (SAC): Mr. Fasan

Support Staff: Mrs. Velocci

Ms. Walterhouse

Community Class (ASD): Ms. Mousmanis

Support Staff: Mrs. Cudmore

Mrs. Novoa

French: Mlle Pulchinski

Library: Mrs. Dallaire

Student Support Centre: Mrs. Foster

Reading Rec.: Mrs. Dallaire

Prep and Phys. Ed.: Mr. Kiatipis

Educational Assistant:

Ms. Waye

Caretakers:

Mr. LeBlanc (Lead)

Mrs. Gilbert

Mrs. Wilson

Office Support Staff:

Mrs. Lisa Wilson (EOAA)

Mrs. Smylie

HOLLAND LANDING HOLLAND LANDING

PUBLIC SCHOOLPUBLIC SCHOOL 905‐836‐6614905‐836‐6614

September 2014

Principal:

Mr. Matthew Biemiller

School Office Admin

Assistant:

Mrs. Lisa Wilson,

Admin Support:

Mrs. Emily-Ann Smylie

Lead Caretaker:

Mr. LeBlanc

Superintendent of

Schools:

Mr. Paul Carew

(905) 895-5155

Trustee:

Ms. Loralea Carruthers

Inside this issue:

Character Matters 2

Bus Transportation 2

School Assistants 2

Guide to the

School Year

2

Search and Seizure 3

Cell Phone Use at

School

3

Student Medica-

tions

3

Pediculosis (Head

Lice)

3

Canadian Anti-

Spam Legislation

3

Anaphylactic Reac- 4

Safe Arrival Pro-

gram

4

School Start-Up

Package

4

FNMI Self-

Identification

4

School Calendar 5

Important Bus Transportation Message

Did you know that students bussing eligibility changes

throughout their school career? Your son/daughter’s eligibil-

ity to ride the school bus may change according to their

grade and distance from home to school. Below are the pro-

visions 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 tran-

sit 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

tranportation and to determine your son/daughter’s eligibility

please visit www.schoolbuscity.com.

Page 2 HLPS Highlights

School Assistants

“Keeping our

students safe is

everyone’s

responsibility”

We are looking to add to our

pool of School Lunch Assistants

who assist in supervising stu-

dents over the lunch hour.

These paid positions are avail-

able on an occasional or ongoing

basis. We currently have a need for people

who can join our supply list in this

role. However we may also need a

regular daily person as well in the

near future. If you are interested, please see Mrs.

Wilson or Mr. Biemiller for an infor-

mation package.

Character Matters Character Calendar

Respect, Responsibility,

Empathy, Fairness,

Initiative, Honesty,

Integrity, Courage,

Perseverance, Optimism

Our Character Trait for the Month of September is

Respect.

“We respect ourselves and treat others with courtesy, dig-

nity, and positive regard. We honour the rights of others.

We respect their belongings, the environment and the

world around us.”

Character Poster

At our monthly Character Assem-

blies, we introduce our upcoming

character trait for the month. To the

right, you will find this month’s char-

acter poster so that you may speak

with your child about respect. Please

engage your child in talking about

what respect means to them. At

school, we have talked about the im-

portance of treating others with re-

spect. Please ask you child how they

can demonstrate respect at home.

Parents/guardians, as you may have noticed, the table of contents in the Guide to the School Year is incorrect. Due to a

page numbering error, the page numbers are off by three pages. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please be assured

that processes are being reviewed at the Board to avoid this error in future. We encourage you to use the online ver-

sion of the guide, which has the additional benefit of being searchable.

2014/15 YRDSB Guide to the School Year

Student Medications

Page 3 HLPS Highlights

Search and Seizure

As per the protocol between the York Region District

School Board and the York Regional Police, please be aware

of the right of school administration to search school prop-

erty, such as lockers, desks and backpacks, without notice

to or permission of any person.

Also, from time to time, police may be invited onto any

school premises to conduct their own searches without

notice to or permission of any member of the school com-

munity other than the school principal.

Please note that this information as well as other “Safe

Schools” messages were shared with all students at the

assembly on the first day of school.

Students are prohibited from using cell phones at school.

Students who need their phones before and after school

must turn them off and store them out of sight while on

school property. The first time a cell phone is visible or

audible, it will be confiscated for the day. If

it happens again, parents will be asked to

pick up the phone at the office at their con-

venience.

As with all items of value, the school will

not be held responsible for any phones that

are lost, stolen or damaged.

Cell Phone Use at School

Any student who requires medication during school hours

is required to have a York Region District School Board

Medication Form completed and signed by his or her par-

ent/guardian. It is especially important that parents

communicate a life-threatening allergy to the school

as soon as they are aware of it. Please notify the princi-

pal and your child’s teacher so that we take the steps to

ensure a plan is in place, and inform staff of the established

protocol.

All medication must be stored in the office (with the excep-

tion of emergency items such as additional EpiPens®), and

must be in their own container with medical labels/

prescription information attached. Please see Mrs. Wilson or Mr. Biemiller if you require a

form. If your child does need to come to the office for

medication, please reinforce this responsibility with them

and help them to understand their role and responsibilities

in this process.

Pediculosis (Head Lice)

Each year, cases of head lice are found throughout the

schools. In an effort to reduce the number of cases found

and decrease the inconvenience to parents and students,

we ask that parents please inspect your child’s hair and

scalp on a regular basis to help prevent the spread of head

lice. If head lice is found, please inform the school office

and do not return your child to school until treated.

Your child must report to the office for an examination

before returning to class.

For more information, please call Health

Connection at 1-800-361-5653.

Recommended website:

www.cps.ca or

www.healthcare.ubc.ca/lice/intro .

Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) came into effect on July 1, 2014 and impacts how schools, staff and school coun-

cils communicate electronically to parents. CASL prohibits the sending of any type of electronic message that is com-

mercial in nature unless the recipient has provided specific and informed consent first. Examples of commercial elec-

tronic messages include requests for money such as registration fees, pizza days, field trips, fundraising initiatives, school

photos and others.

To ensure continued effective communication to HLPS families, we will be sending home a CASL Consent Form along

with the Student Registration Information Verification form during the second week of school. Please sign the Consent

Form and return it and the Student Registration Information Verification to school as soon as possible. Thank you!

Page 4 HLPS Highlights

Anaphylactic Reactions

The Anaphylactic Reactions Policy is in a renewal process.

This can be accessed on the Board’s internet site at

www.yrdsb.ca. Select “Your Trustees” and then “Policies

and By-laws.”

Please note, if you are a parent of a child with an

anaphylactic allergy and you do not wish your child

to carry their EpiPen®, you must arrange a meeting

with Mr. Biemiller to discuss this situation. Other-

wise, it is our expectation that all students with anaphylac-

tic allergies will carry their EpiPen® with them at all times,

as well as having a second EpiPen® in the office. This ex-

pectation is consistent regardless of age.

In addition, parents of students with anaphylaxis may also

wish to contact the Canadian MedicAlert® Founda-

tion. MedicAlert® is Canada’s largest member-based,

charity organization dedicated to providing services that

protect and save lives. To learn more about MedicAlert®,

visit www.medicalert.ca or call 1(800) 668-1507.

Safe Arrival Program School Start-Up Package

As you may know, all public schools in York Region have a

Safe Arrival program. This requires that we verify any child

absences on a daily basis. If your child will be away

from school it is very important that you call the

school at 905-836-6614. You can leave a message at

this number at any time of day or night.

If your child is absent and we have not received a message

from you, we will make every effort to reach you. In the

event that we have not been able to contact you or

your emergency contacts, we will call the York Re-

gional Police.

It is important that when students arrive late to school they

come to the office for a late slip. This allows us to avoid

unnecessary, and often alarming calls home.

Please ensure you have read the “School Start-Up”

package that came home on the first day. It includes

a number of important items, as well as a package of

multi-coloured forms that will require your signa-

tures. In addition, please ensure that you have re-

viewed the Board polices outlined in the red Board

Guidebook for 2014-15.

Agendas are an excellent organizational tool that are very

effective when used consistently. Please check your child’s

agenda daily. You will find homework, notices and special

activities listed in the agenda. While it is not mandatory, we

strongly encourage each student to purchase a school

agenda.

The cost of the Agenda, on a cost recovery basis, will

be $ 5.00.

PROMOTING SUCCESS FOR STUDENTS OF FIRST NATION, MÉTIS AND INUIT ANCESTRY

The York Region District School Board provides an opportunity for students with First Nation, Métis and Inuit ancestry to self-

identify. The process is voluntary and the information gathered will be kept confidential.

The self-identification process is the first step in providing:

Culturally specific learning opportunities or activities;

Additional support for academic achievement and well-being, including designated support staff;

Communication between schools, First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education staff, Aboriginal students and their families;

Connections to post-secondary institutions, community groups, service providers and other partners;

More learning opportunities for all members of the school community to develop a greater understanding of Aboriginal perspec-

tives, cultures and histories.

New students can self-identify when they register with the Board. Current students can complete an Aboriginal Self-Identification

Form which can be obtained from their school.

For further information, please see the “Information for Parents and Students with First Nation, Métis and Inuit

Ancestry” brochure available from the school or speak with the school principal.

Self Identification of Students with First Nation, Métis and Inuit Ancestry

Page 5 HLPS Highlights

September 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

31 1 Labour Day

2 Day 1 First Day of

School

3 Day 2 4 Day 3

5 Day 4

6

7 8 Day 5 9 Day 1 10 Day 2 11 Day 3 Fire Safety Pres-

entation in A.M.

(GR12A &

GR34A)

12 Day 4 13

14 15 Day 5 16 Day 1 School Bus-

Safety Presenta-

tion in A.M.

17 Day 2 18 Day 3 19 Day 4 20

21 22 Professional

Training Day—

No School

23 Day 5

24 Day 1 Terry Fox Run

in P.M.

25 Day 2 Rosh

Hashanah

26 Day 3 Rosh

Hashanah

School Photos

in A.M.

27

28 29 Day 4 30 Day 5 Character Mat-

ters Assembly

in A.M.

1 Area Cross

Country Meet

2 Immunization -

Gr. 8 Girls &

Gr. 7s

3 4

Be on the look-out for Pizza Lunch order forms and

Girls on the Run registration information! They will

be sent home during the second week of school!