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RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOL

N E WS R.O.A.R.Z.

SEPTEMBER 2018 ISSUE 1

ORANGE Day Oct 4

Thanksgiving Day Oct 9

PD Day Oct 6

World Teachers’ Day Oct. 5

Principal and Vice Principal Day Oct 10

Bus Driver Appreciation

Day Oct 17

DECE Day Oct 24

From the Office Dear Ridgewood Community,

Welcome Back! We are excited about the 2018/2019 school year where staff will continue to inspire success, confidence and hope in our students! As we ring in the new school year, we have a renewed commitment to engaging our students and empowering them to achieve success! We encourage you to partner with us on this Journey. Research has shown that students whose parents are involved in their learning, experience greater levels of success. Speak with your children about what they are learning in school. It is important to create a time to ask questions that will engage your child such as: What is something you would like to inquire more about at school? What word did your teacher say most today?” What do you think you should do/learn more of at school? What do you think you should do/learn less of at school? What was the best thing that happened at school today? Tell me something that made you laugh today. Visit www.peelschools.org/parents/involved to learn more. Embrace each opportunity to have deeper conversations with your child. At Ridgewood we will continue to foster Growth Mindset in our students, encouraging them to be strong, engage in purposeful risk taking, and to set high expectations of themselves. In addition to these we will model positive characters of caring, honesty, inclusion, respect, responsibility and cooperation.

We will continue to implement the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) program in our grade 4 and 5 French Immersion class­ rooms. Students will be engaged in high quality problem-based learning. The program is designed to nurture the Four C’s of modern day learners namely communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Staff and students will be innovative in the activities they engage and we will create opportunities that will enable students to connect their learning to real life events by inviting experts from the fields of science and technology to join us in the classroom. The STEAM program is an exciting opportunity for our students to push themselves beyond what they may have thought was possible.

Most teachers have adopted Google classroom as their preferred method of communication and we are sure most of you would have joined your child’s Google classroom or See Saw.

We have high expectations of our students. It is our goal for them to achieve excellence academically as well as socially and emotionally. We will continue to embrace, engage and empower our students! At Ridgewood, We Inspire success, confidence and hope!

7207 CAMBRETT DRIVE, MISSISSAUGA, ON L4T 2R3 Tel. 905-677-1350 Principal: Mrs. D. Addison Vice Principal: Mrs. 0. Omiyale Office Manager: Mrs. D. Punnia Superintendent: Mrs. P. Daws Trustee: Mr. R. Williams

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Introducing our new Vice Principal Olubunmi Omiyale

(Bunmi). She is a lifelong learner, an advocate for all children.

Mrs. Omiyale believes that all kids can learn.

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New Staff

Ridgewood Family welcomes the

following new staff members:

Sherifat Ogunyomi Grade 3

Andrea Shum Grade 3

Sandra Sgro Grade 3

Harvinder Rathor ESL Planning Time

Amy Cundari ISSP teacher

FALL FAIR

Thanks to all our parents for your incredible support during

the fall fair. Students had fantastic opportunities to enjoy the

day as Ridgewood family.

PIZZA DAY

Every Friday is Pizza day at Ridgewood. Please ensure that

you order your child’s pizza order by Sept 28th. Pizza will

be available to order every three months and will only be

available to order by our Cash Online system.

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Ridgewood staff and students participated actively and interestingly to raise funds

for the Terry Fix foundation. This year, the event was Tape Your Teacher. Students

and staff had great fun as these brave teachers were TAPED TO THE WALL.

2018 Terry Fox Run

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Ridgewood Child & Family Learning Centre This FREE drop-in centre is open Monday to Friday, from 8:40 to 11:30am / 12:30 to 3:00pm, and provides an informal and welcoming learning environment for parents and caregivers with children from birth to age four. The centre helps children to learn Literacy, Numeracy and Social Skills through a variety of stimulating activities, prepares children for school and is led by a qualified Early Childhood Educator. Come and join us! No pre-registration is required.

Orange Shirt Day on October 4

First launched in 2013 in Williams Lake, Orange Shirt Day commemorates the

history and the legacy of residential schools, and the strength and fortitude of

residential school Survivors and their descendants.

Although Orange Shirt Day is on Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, our school will

commemorate the day on Thursday, Oct. 4 for regular schools. Students are

encouraged to wear orange shirts at schools in recognition of the day. Teachers

will lead a variety of activities in their classroom s to commemorate the date.

Celebrate World Teachers’ Day

Since 1994, parents and students from around the world have celebrated World

Teachers’ Day to commemorate the work of teachers and their contributions to

society. On Oct. 5, take the time to let your child's teacher know they are truly

appreciated. Thank your child's teacher and let them know they are making a

difference.

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2018 Ridgewood Fall Fair: Face painting, Adrenalin Rush, Decorative Balloons

and several other activities.

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Teachers also enjoyed the Fall Fair

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NEWS AND UPDATES

The long and lazy days of summer are over. Fall is on its way and as the days get shorter and the

temperatures drop, it’s a great time for renewal and fresh starts. Focusing and concentrating on good

mental health is an important part of overall wellness. According to the World Health Organization,

mental health is "a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can

cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a

contribution to her or his community." Mental health is something we all have. Just like physical

health, there are some things that you and your child can do to be mentally healthy:

Get enough sleep. Remember it takes the average person a complete hour to go from fully awake to fully asleep. If you do an hour-long bedtime routine pretty much the same way every night, your child’s brain will get the message that it is time to shut down for sleep.

Exercise daily - even a short walk makes a difference. Getting outside to exercise provides exposure to Vitamin D the “sunshine vitamin.”

Try to surround you and your family with positive, supportive people.

Eat plenty of nutritious foods.

Spend time everyday doing things that make you and your child feel good.

Take time to relax.

Be in touch with your feelings by being mindful of your thoughts and how you feel. Ask your child how they are feeling.

When there are problems or worries, try to actively work to solve the problem.

Try new things and encourage your child to get involved in school activities or new hobbies.

Go offline. Make a commitment to limit screen time as a family.

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Regional Learning Choices programs unlock passions

Regional Learning Choices Programs, offered by the Peel District School Board, empower students by providing them with opportunities to develop and explore skills in a particular area of interest. Regional programs are open to all students who meet the criteria for acceptance. Students and their families are encouraged to attend the information night for the program of their choice to receive more information about the program and application details.

Transportation is not provided for students in regional programs. If students have been accepted into a regional program and they live within the school boundary, they are eligible for busing only if they meet the distance criteria outlined in the board’s Transportation Policy #39.

All regional programs include a non-refundable application fee and an annual program fee. All RLCP application fees are $40 annual fees, except the Truck and Coach program which is offered at no cost.

IMPORTANT DATES

ELEMENTARY SECONDARY

Applications open Jan. 28, 2019 at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 5, 2018 at 12:01 a.m.

Applications close Feb. 11, 2019 at 3 p.m. Nov. 21, 2018 at 3 p.m.

REGIONAL LEARNING CHOICES PROGRAMS OFFERED

Programs Starts in grade: 6 7 9

Actively in Motion (AIM) – Royal Orchard MS

Advanced Placement – Central Peel SS, John Fraser SS

Arts – Earnscliffe Sr. PS (starts in grade 6), Queen Elizabeth Sr. PS (starts in grade 7),

Cawthra Park SS, Mayfield SS

Arts and Technology – Morning Star MS

Graphic Design Management – T.L. Kennedy SS

International Baccalaureate – Bristol Road. MS, W.G. Davis Sr. PS, Erindale SS, Glenforest

SS, Harold M. Brathwaite SS, Turner Fenton SS

International Business and Technology – Allan A. Martin Sr. PS, Lisgar MS, Williams

Parkway. Sr. PS, Meadowvale SS, North Park SS, T.L. Kennedy SS

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International and Executive Leadership Academy – T.L. Kennedy SS

Regional Skilled Trades – West Credit SS (starting in September 2019)

SciTech – Centennial Sr. PS, Macville PS, Tomken Road. MS, Chinguacousy SS, Port Credit SS

Sports – Applewood Heights SS

Strings – Central Peel SS, Port Credit SS

Truck and Coach Engineering and Technology – Bramalea SS

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Conference helps parents empower modern learners

The Peel District School Board is hosting its annual parent conference, co-presented by the Peel

Elementary Teachers’ Local, on Saturday, November 3, 2018, at Mississauga Secondary School in

Mississauga. After hearing from participants and staff, we are changing the traditional workshop model

to an "un-conference" model, where attendees will create their own agenda, and explore all subject

areas and experts, as if they were visiting a museum. This format will allow parents to visit and interact

with each area and Peel board facilitators.

This free learning event is open to Peel parents of students at all grade levels.

Our keynote presentation will be delivered by Will Richardson, co-publisher of ModernLearners.com,

who converges and shares knowledge on modern learning. Will’s talk—Schools on the Brink: How

Classrooms are Being Reimagined for a World of Networked Learning—will be split into two sessions

during the conference. Parents will learn about the schools, districts, provinces, and countries that are

leading this profound redefinition of what it means to be fully educated today.

Reserve your spot starting Oct. 1, 2018

Stay up-to-date!

For more information, visit www.peelschools.org/parents/conference