The Bennie Bulletin · Bennie staff and students would like to extend our heart-felt thank you to the members of our School Council for 2015/2016. Over the past few years, Margaret

The Bennie Bulletin 259 Sherk Street, Leamington ON N8H 3K8

Phone: 519 326-6603

Patti Oshar, Principal Lisa Major, Vice Principal Diane Martin, Secretary

September 6, 2016

Dar Families and Friends of Margaret D. Bennie Public School,

Welcome to the 2016/2017 school year! We are very excited about all this school year promises to

offer. We anticipate a year packed with opportunities … opportunities for innovation, creativity, problem

solving, perseverance, hard work, collaboration, friendship, fun, learning, celebration and much more!

Please read through this bulletin carefully to find out about some of the opportunities that are coming

soon and to learn how to stay connected to us throughout the year. We are committed to creating a

strong and supportive community by providing frequent communication and we truly hope that you will

commit to taking the time to ‘stay in the know’ about Bennie business by reading our bulletins, tweets, news stories and more!

Congratulations to Mrs. Fritsch, Mrs. Sullivan and the 25 students who

were part of our summer learning program, Camp Wonder! It is exciting

to know that the learning continued well into July. We are very grateful that GECDSB provides this opportunity for our students.

A huge thank you to our dedicated staff for the work they have done over the summer in order to

prepare for the up-coming school year. Mr. Hughes and Mr. Chambers, our custodians, have been

working tirelessly to get our school into tip-top shape. One look at the shiny floors and you will know

how hard they worked to be ready for us. Ms Martin, our secretary, has also been busy with all of the

behind-the-scenes details that organize us for a new school year. She has also been welcoming many

new families to Bennie. Teachers and support staff have also spent many hours in school and at home preparing for our first day.

Be sure to sign and

return your child’s

photo consent so

he/she can be

included in our

bulletins and tweets!

September 6, 2016 Bennie Bulletin 2

https://publicboard.ca/schools/mdbennie

M.D. Bennie Staff 2016 – 2017

We are so lucky to have such a hardworking and dedicated staff!

Principal Mrs. Oshar

Vice Principal Mrs. Major

Secretary Ms Martin

JSKC Mrs. Campbell

JSKM Mrs. Jeffrey and Mrs. Fischer/Mrs. Primeau

1M Mrs. Morin

1/2J Mrs. Johnston

2/3D Mrs. Driedger

3S Mrs. Sullivan

4/5P Mrs. Pezzotti

4/5W Ms W

6F Mrs. Fillion

6/7M Mr. McLean

7/8T Mrs. Trudell / Mrs. Braga

8F Mrs. Fritsch

SERR Mr. Douma

LST Mr. Evon

French Mme Lypps

Library Mr. Evon

EA Mrs. Silveira

CYW Mrs. Sherman

Custodians Mr. Chambers and Mr. Hughes

Come one … come all!

School Council Meeting and Elections

Bennie staff and students would like to extend our

heart-felt thank you to the members of our School

Council for 2015/2016. Over the past few years,

Margaret D. Bennie’s School Council has provided

many things for our students including new school uniforms for sports teams, iPads and laptops. They

also contributed to the cost of graduation and field

trips. As a member of School Council, you are able

to continue to discover new and exciting ways to contribute to the education of the students at M.D.

Bennie Public School. Education is a partnership

parents, students, teachers, principals, community

members, school boards and the government. Your involvement in School Council gives you the

opportunity to strengthen that partnership and be

part of a dedicated team working to ensure a high

quality of education for all students.

Elections and the first meeting of our new SAC will be on Monday, September 26th at 5:30 p.m. in

the staff room. Each September we are required

to hold elections for School Council Executive

Members (Chair, Co-Chairs, Secretary and

Treasurer). We encourage all parents to become actively involved in this process. Please contact the

school if you are interested in nominating yourself

or another parent. We hope that you will

thoughtfully consider a role with the School Council. It is an excellent way to contribute to the education

of our students!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Back to Bennie Bonanza

Wednesday, September 21st

5:30 to 7:00

• Free food

• Family activities

• Prizes

• An opportunity to connect with our school

community



“How Children Succeed”

By Paul Tough

According to researcher Chris Peterson, as reported in the book, “How Children Succeed”, the following set of

strengths are most likely to predict life satisfaction and high achievement:

Grit

Self-control

Zest

Social intelligence

Gratitude

Optimism

Curiosity

Together we can build these character strengths in our children and set them up for a life of satisfaction and

high achievement!



Important Dates:

Monday, September 12th: Welcome JK/SK!

Wednesday, September 21st: Back to Bennie Bonanza

Friday, September 23rd: PA Day

Monday, September 26th: School Council Meeting and Elections

Friday, October 7th: School Photos

Do you want access to our school calendar for more dates? Visit our calendar at https://publicboard.ca/schools/mdbennie/Pages/default.aspx

Do you want to see frequent photos and updates of the learning and fun that regularly take

place at Bennie? Check out our Twitter feed at the bottom of our school website https://publicboard.ca/schools/mdbennie or follow us on Twitter

Would you like to have bulletins sent to you by email? Carefully review your child’s Student

Verification Form to ensure we have your accurate email address. If we do not have an email

address on file for you, a form will be sent home. Please complete and return it to be kept in the loop.

Would you rather pay for agendas, field trips, food orders, etc. electronically than to send the

money to school with your child? Visit https://gecdsb.schoolscashonline.com to register for online

payments.

Would you prefer to receive a paper copy of bulletins instead of electronic copies? If so, please contact our secretary, Ms Martin at 519 326-6603 to let her know.

To learn more about the benefits of electronic communication, our school website, Office 365, School

Cash Onlline, Edsby and more, please be sure to visit our school library on Wednesday, September 21st during our Back to Bennie Bonanza.





Elmer’s Seven Traffic Safety Rules

1. Look all ways before you cross the street.

2. Keep away from parked cars.

3. Ride your bike safely ~ Obey signs and signals.

4. Play in a safe place away from the street.

5. Walk when you cross the street.

6. Where there is no sidewalk, walk on the left, facing

traffic.

7. Always wear your seat-belt in the car.

Safe Entry

The Greater Essex County District School Board and the staff at Margaret D. Bennie Public School are

committed to providing a safe and welcoming learning environment for our students. All doors to Bennie will be locked and we ask that ALL VISITORS to the school use only the main entrance door, press

the buzzer to gain access and check in at the office whenever entering the school. ALL VISITORS

must wear visitor badges when in the school.

Drop-off and Pick-up

Another way you can help us protect your children is by keeping hallways free of congestion at

entry and dismissal times. If you are dropping off your child(ren) in the morning, a reminder that they

are not to arrive at school before 8:50 a.m. Please use the designated Kiss ’n Ride drop off to ensure

your child’s safety. Do not park near the busses. If you are picking up your child(ren) at the end of the

day, please do not park in front of or near the busses. Walkers will not be dismissed until all busses are

gone at 3:20. Arriving too early creates congestion and makes things unsafe.



SAFETY FIRST: Life-Threatening Allergies

Thank you to all of our families who do their very best to respect the needs of others in our school building. This

is a reminder that we do have a number of students who have potentially life-threatening allergies (anaphylaxis)

to scents (perfumes, colognes, scented deodorants, etc.) foods (predominantly to all nuts, peanuts and shellfish

such as shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops). The best way to reduce the risk of accidental exposure to these students is to respectfully ask for the cooperation of families within this school community to avoid sending shellfish,

peanut butter or products with shellfish or nuts of any kind listed in the ingredients as snacks or lunches.

Also, please be ‘scent’sitive to those with allergies to scents.

Please advise your child’s teacher if you are considering bringing in food items to share with the class. There

are also a number of non-food suggestions to consider when celebrating a special event.

We truly appreciate your cooperation and support. By working together we can minimize these potential dangers

in our building.

Student Lates and Absences

The primary concern of our staff is the safety and welfare of all children. If your child is going to be late or absent, please assist us by calling the school (519-326-6603) before 9:00 a.m. to inform us. Voice mail is

available 24 hours a day for your convenience.

Students need to be in class to learn to their full potential. Students who are on time and in class every

day will also develop an essential lifelong skill...being punctual! Thank you for stressing the importance of

being at school on time every day with your child.

Our Agenda: A Time Management and Communication Tool

Student agendas have been sent home with all of our students in Grades 1 to 8. We ask that families

contribute $3 / agenda to help offset the costs. This can be paid for on-line. Please read the front pages of the agenda with your child to review routines and procedures.

Each day, it is important to review your child’s agenda with him or her to check for messages about

class events, homework, or forms. This is particularly important at the start of the year to ensure that

our office has contact information. In the event that your child becomes ill, we want to ensure that we

have the most updated numbers and contact people so we can communicate to keep your child healthy and safe.

The agenda is also a great tool for parents to communicate with their children’s teachers. When face to face visits are not convenient, a note in the agenda can keep the line of communication open.

Thank you for helping us keep your child learning and safe!



Welcome back Bulldogs!!! Hoping everyone had a great summer!

Come join us at Audrey’s Clubhouse Latchkey

Before and After School Care provided at M. D. Bennie

Open at 6:30 a.m. and Close at 6:00 p.m.

CALL 519-322-1801

~Supporting you in your local schools

Documents

The Bennie Bulletin · Bennie staff and students would like to extend our heart-felt thank you to the members of our School Council for 2015/2016. Over the past few years, Margaret