Martina Asta

Melissa Brown

Tel: 905-791-6025

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SIB Bobcat

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Sir Isaac Brock Public School

Newsletter

http://schools.peelschools.org/1417

Winter Concert Thank you to all who attended the Winter Concert on December 20th, it was a huge success! The gym was packed and the atmosphere was very festive. The students were so excited and were absolutely delighted to have had the opportunity to perform for family members. I want to personally thank you for the kind words you offered Ms. Skea and I after the concert. It really was a collaborative effort. Many staff, student volunteers, and parents were involved in presenting this concert. Thank you to each and every one of you! I think we can all agree that the real stars of the evening were the performers. You should be very proud of your children! I know I speak for all staff at SIB when I say how fortunate we are to teach in a community that is so supportive and welcoming. Thank you! Ms. Skea and Mr. Meilleur

New Underwater Mural The Art Club worked as student leaders to help the primary classes complete a primary mural. Each class painted one small canvas and the twelve small canvasses were joined together to create large underwater scene. The theme behind the painting was to celebrate the diversity in our school. Great job!

2017

News from the Gym!

2017 started right where we left off with a ton of activities available for our students!

Both the Badminton and Basketball Teams are getting ready for their upcoming tournaments. The Badminton Team will be travelling to compete at Judith Nyman Secondary School in January. Good luck to our athletes! We are also excited to be hosting the Div. 4 Basketball Tournaments at SIB in February. Our Athletic Council Students are working hard to help prepare to host 14 teams in total over two days.

In Physical Education class, students have been working off the extra holiday cookies with a fun and exciting fitness unit! The students are also been challenging themselves the week of January 16th, as we are lucky to be hosting JungleSport rock climbing in the gym.

Our Intramural Leagues will be resuming at the end of the month and we hope to have even more students involved than the 200 students earlier in the school year!

A group of staff and students are excited for our annual ski trip to Mansfield Ski Club in a few weeks. We are learning to love winter through being active!

Remember the best way to get over the winter blues is to get outside and get active!! Check us out in action @SIB_PE

Parking in Front of the School Just a friendly reminder to parents to please not park in front of the school during nutrition breaks or when picking up/dropping off your child. Our school vehicles travel in and out of our school’s front parking lot numerous times daily and require the space to ensure the safety of our students who travel by bus and van to and from school each day. Thank you for your assistance ensuring the safety of all our students!

Nutritious Lunches Help Children Learn Use Canada’s Food Guide to help your child get nutrients and energy needed to have a successful school day. Try to give your child some choice about what to take for lunch. If possible, get your child involved in preparing

meals. Give your child a variety of healthy choices. Keeping your child interested in lunch is the first step to making

sure it is eaten. Make the food easy to eat. If it will take your child a few minutes to unwrap a sandwich, it may be skipped. Resist the temptation to routinely send sweets, pop, chips and cookies in your child's lunch. Save treats for

special occasions. Try to avoid fast food or pre-packaged, convenience lunches, which are often high in salt and fat. Do your best to role model healthy eating behaviours for your family. To speak to a registered dietitian about healthy food choices, call EatRight Ontario at 1-877-510-5102. For more information about the policy, visit http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/healthyschools. If you have questions about how we are implementing the School Food and Beverage Policy, please call the school.

Health and Physical Education Curriculum Supports the Physical, Emotional and Social Well-Being of Students

Working together to keep our students safe and healthy

The Peel District School Board implemented the Ministry of Education’s revised Health and Physical Education (HPE) cur-riculum in the 2015-16 school year. The curriculum is divided into four elements that work together to support the physical, emotional and social well-being of students: active living movement competence living skills healthy living Peel staff will again teach the human development and sexual health component to students, beginning spring 2017. This provides time for teachers to develop strong relationships with their students prior to this phase. Advance notice letters will be sent home with students two weeks prior to the human development/sexual health lessons. Families can submit religious accommodation requests at any time prior to the lesson by contacting the school directly. To get more information on how the HPE curriculum will be taught, please visit our website at www.peelschools.org/HPE.

It's Time to Register Children Born in 2013 for Kindergarten

We inspire success, confidence and hope in each student…and it all starts in kindergarten! If your child was born in 2013, he or she can start kindergarten in September 2017. You can register your child at any time during regular school hours—just visit the school he/she will be attending to register. Peel schools will also hold a Kindergarten Registration Week with special registration activities during Feb. 6 to 9, 2017. Visit Sir Isaac Brock P.S. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 6, 7, 8 and 9 and from 5 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 9. What you will need to bring to registration: Proof of child's age (one of the following)

Canadian birth certificate Canadian passport citizenship card/certificate Permanent Resident Card confirmation of permanent residence work permit refugee permit

Proof of address (one of the following) Ontario driver's license utility bill bank statement/client slip (directly from financial institution) credit card statement federal government forms (e.g. Social Insurance Number, Service Canada documents) purchase agreement

Proof of custody – children must live with their parent(s) unless provided documentation supports an alternate living arrangement Proof of immunization – proof that your child has been immunized/vaccinated

Middle School Regional Learning Choices Programs

Regional Learning Choices Programs offered by the Peel District School Board empower students by providing an opportunity to develop and explore skills in a particular area of interest. These programs are open to all students who meet the criteria for acceptance. Information Nights 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. If you are unable to attend the information night, program details and information about the application process are available through the school. How to apply The application process for elementary regional programs opens in mid-January 2017. Application dates for middle school programs vary from school to school. The application window for our secondary regional programs has closed for this school year. Visit www.peelschools.org/RegionalPrograms to learn more about our programs, application process and transportation eligibility.

Important Dates to Remember

January 1st, 2017—Happy New Year!! January 9th—First Day Back to School January 16th—Gr. 1’s (1A/1B) to Peel Safety Village January 16th to 20th—Jungle Sports January 20th—Gr. 1’s (1C/1D) to Peel Safety Village January 23rd—PA Day (no school for students) January 24th to 27th—Look Hear Screening January 25th—Ski Trip January 26th –School Council Meeting @ 6:30 pm in the Library January 26th—Spelling Bee Competition (Periods 6 & 7) January 26th—Character Assembly (Gr. 1-4 & 4/5 @ 9:20 am and Gr. 5-8 & 5/6 @ 10:30 am) January 27th—Spirit Day (PJ Day!)

Celebrating Faith and Culture DAYS OF COMMEMORATION & CELEBRATION

DATE CELEBRATION FAITH AND CULTURE

Month of January K'aliyee & Spirit moon Aboriginal Spirituality

January 1 Temple Day Buddhism

January 1 and 14 (J) New Year’s Day Christianity and Canada

January 1 Gantan-sai Shinto

January 5 Sakyamuni Buddha’s Enlightenment Buddhism

January 5 Birth of Guru Gobind Singh Sikhism

January 6 and 19 (J) Epiphany or Feast of Theophany Christianity

January 7 (J) Christmas Christianity

January 9 Seijin-no-hi Shinto

January 12 Mahayana New Year Buddhism

January 13 Lohri Hinduism

January 13 Maghi Sikhism

January 14 Makar Sankranti Hinduism

January 15 World Religion Day Bahá'í

January 18 to February 5 Month of Sultán Bahá'í

January 28 Lunar New Year/Maitreya Bodhisattva’s Birthday Buddhism

Conference Helps Parents Make a Difference in Numeracy and Beyond The Peel District School Board is hosting its annual parent conference on Saturday, April 1, 2017, at Mississauga Secondary School in Mississauga. Once again, the conference will focus on numeracy—25 out of 60 workshops help with math. Parents will still have the opportunity to attend workshops on other topics, including literacy, special education and science. This free learning event is open to Peel parents of students at all grade levels.

Registration opens February 1st, 2017

Stay up-to-date!

For more information, look out for the conference flyer at your child's school or visit www.peelschools.org/parents/conference

Help Your Teen Plan for Course Selections for 2017-18

As our partners, families are encouraged to help prepare their teens for course selection. We encourage you to become familiar with the process by creating a myBlueprint account. Additionally, parents/guardians and students can review Chart Your Course, the Peel District School Board’s common course calendar, at www.peelschools.org/students/commoncoursecalendar. This guide will help you understand the course selection process and provide information on the courses and programs offered in Peel secondary schools. You can visit www.myBlueprint.ca/Peel to access your own myBlueprint account, an online planning tool, to explore features such as: High School – plan courses, track progress toward graduation, and instantly identify post-secondary eligibility for

opportunities in every pathway Post-Secondary planner– compare detailed information on apprenticeships, college programs, university programs and

workplace sectors Career spectrum for finding your learning style Portfolios – create several portfolios (e.g. Career Portfolio) and share them with parents, teachers, or future

employers. It’s simple to add work you have completed in myBlueprint or add pictures and videos Job Search – find real-world job and volunteering postings that relate to occupations of interest Goals – add interactive SMART goals and action plans Resumes & Cover Letters – record experiences, build a resume, write a cover letter Occupations – compare comprehensive information on occupations Money – build a budget to track income and expenses

The secondary school course selection process is open from Dec. 5, 2016 to Feb. 21, 2017. If you have questions or are looking for course suggestions, please contact your teen’s teachers or guidance counsellor.

Apply for French Immersion by January 27, 2017

If your child will be starting Grade 1 in September 2017, one of the important choices you will make is whether you want to consider French Immersion (FI). To find out more about the program, visit www.peelschools.org/French The application form for Grade 1 FI for the 2017-18 school year will be available online at www.peelschools.org/French as of Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 at 1 p.m. The deadline to apply is Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 at 4 p.m. Applications received after the deadline will not be included in the random selection process and will be placed on the school’s waitlist. The FI school for our area is Castle Oaks Public School. The phone number is 905-796-4450. Enrolment Cap and Random Selection Process As there is a Grade 1 FI enrolment cap in place, there are a limited number of spots available for students entering the program. The cap is set at 25 per cent of all Peel students enrolled in Grade 1. Spots are not assigned on a first come, first served basis. A random selection process system is used to identify students gaining entrance into the Grade 1 FI program. All students who apply by the deadline will be assigned a rank using a computerized random selection process. Once students have been assigned to all available spots, remaining students will be placed, again in rank order, on the school's waitlist. Each school has its own waitlist. How to Get More Information: Visit the Peel board website—www.peelschools.org/French Visit the Canadian Parents for French website at http://on.cpf.ca/