1708 GREY NUNS DRIVE GLOUCESTER, ONTARIO K1C 1C1 PHONE: 613-824-8177 Convent Glen E.S. Elementary School “The small school with the BIG heart” FAX: 613-824-1714 April 2014 Volume 8, Issue 1 Principal: Mrs. Mari Murray A Message from the Principal Office Administrator: Ms. Debbie Marsland Dear Parents/Guardians and Community Members, Happy Spring to everyone…let’s hope that spring-like weather is upon us soon! Office Assistant: Ms. Susan Webb Chief Custodian: Ms. Arlene Samaroo Heureux printemps a tout le monde…espérons que le printemps arrivera bientôt ! Supervisory Officer: Mr. Neil Yorke-Slader I hope everyone enjoyed a fun and restful March break! We are now well into our second term and our students continue to demonstrate their best efforts in their academic work. We are proud of all their accomplishments! Trustee: Mr. John Shea School Council Chair: Ms. Paula Cudmore Inside this issue: Monthly Bucket Fillers 2 School Happenings 2/3 School Council 3 School Improve3 ment Plan for Student Achievement Ottawa Public Health 4 French Online Homework Help 4 School Calendar 5 We’re on the web: www.conventglenes. ocdsb.ca/ Although the official registration periods for kindergarten and middle French immersion have concluded, parents can still enroll their child in either program at any time. Please share this information with your friends and neighbours. They are welcome to contact the office for more information. We would be happy to help them with the registration process! We are already very busy planning for the next school year. As of September 2014, our school will be following a balanced day timetable. Instead of having 2 recess breaks and a lunch, students will enjoy two longer nutrition breaks. We will be going outside for outdoor play and then coming inside to eat during both breaks. This model significantly increases instructional time in the classroom, which has a positive impact on student learning. Here is the new daily schedule: 8:00—10:00am: Block Instructional 10:00-10:30am: Outdoor Play 10:30-10:50am: Nutrition Break 10:50-12:50pm: Block Instructional 12:50-1:10pm: Outdoor Play 1:10-1:30pm: Nutrition Break 1:30-2:30pm: Instructional Block If you have any questions about the balanced school day, please do not hesitate to contact me. We continue to encourage all parents/guardians to take an active role in your child’s education. Children are most successful when we all work together in partnership to support and encourage their overall success and achievement. Our teachers and support staff continue to ensure that all students are engaged in rich and varied educational experiences within a supportive learning community. Thank you for your ongoing support! Merci pour votre soutien continu! Sincerely, Mari Murray *Important—Tell Them From Me (TTFM) PARENT Survey It is very important that we hear from you, our parents and guardians, about our school climate. I am asking you to please take a few minutes to complete the on-line parent survey. The survey is completely anonymous, voluntary, confidential, and should only take you approximately 20 minutes to complete. If you have more than one child at the school, you may complete the survey once per child. The parent survey is now open and will remain open until Friday, April 11th. Here are the instructions for completing the parent survey: Visit www.tellthemfromme.com Use the following school login codes: Username: CGES10776 Password: parent Click GO to start the survey We appreciate your time and greatly value your opinions regarding how we can continue to create a positive and accepting school environment for you and your child. If you have any specific questions about the survey, please do not hesitate to contact the school. Thank you! Please note that only students in grades 4 and 5 will complete the student survey at school. Volume 8, Issue 1 Seek to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you. ~ James Freeman Clarke EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM For the 2014-2015 school year, the OCDSB will be offering the extended day program for all students from JK to grade 5 at Convent Glen. Before and after school care will be provided at the school by an Early Childhood Educator. Before school care will begin at 7:00am and after school care will end at 6:00pm. Parents/guardians can opt for only before OR after school care. There is also flexibility with respect to part-time care (i.e., two or three days per week only). The rates are as follows:  $20.00 daily rate  $4.50 morning only  $15.50 after school only If you are interested in the extended day program for your child, it is essential that you contact the office to let us know. We will send you a registration form to complete. This will enable us to plan accordingly for September. Convent Glen E.S. Monthly Bucket Fillers CONGRATULATIONS to our bucket fillers! January Bucket Fillers: JANUARY * SK - Isaac Barton * Grade 2 - Ava Naugler * Grade 3 - Hafez El Jawhari * Grade 4 - Fergus Stewart * Grade 4 MFI - Zoe StowSchwermer * Grade 5 MFI - Pradyu Vasudev FEBRUARY * SK- Leena Alizai * Grade 2 - Let Let Hlaing Kyi * Grade 2 - Ila Nabi * Grade 4- Alexandra LeblancBegin * Grade 4 MFI - Sophie DesRoches * Grade 5 MFI - Serena Maracle February Bucket Fillers: These students are all excellent role-models! School Happenings! VERY SPECIAL CELEBRATION! On Monday, March 17th, we had a very special celebration at Convent Glen for our very own Debbie Marsland, Office Administrator, who has been working at the school for 25 years. What an amazing accomplishment! Every class made a presentation to Debbie, followed by a lovely song from our choir, and concluded by everyone dancing. We welcomed some special guests to our celebration including Debbie’s sons, our Superintendent Mr. Neil Yorke-Slader, and many former staff of Convent Glen. We would all like to thank Debbie for her commitment and dedication to our school. We are very lucky to have her! THANK YOU, DEBBIE! INTRAMURALS: Our students continue to have fun playing floor hockey. A special thanks to James for continuing our intramurals. much they are learning and the wonderful things they are making! MABEL’S LABELS! Just a friendly reminder to support our school fundraiser! You may want to check out the spring specials and order your KNITTING CLUB: Many students have enjoyed labels for the upcoming school year. You can order labels for taking part in our knitting your entire family in order to club this year. help keep track of everyone’s Sadly, the knitting club will conclude on Thursday, April belongings. The labels are personalized and 17th. A special thanks to our won- dishwasher/laundry safe. Please feel free to share the derful volunteers, Ms. Irene Melo and Ms. Nancy Dow for label information with your famrunning the knitting club again ily and friends, so that they can also order labels and support this year! Our students have made lots our school. All funds raised will go towards of lovely items, but more importantly many have conour new playstructure. tributed squares which will be donated to Project Linus. Please visit our site at: These squares will be sewn www.cges.mabelslabels.com together to make blankets for To place your order and supchildren who are in the hos- port our fundraiser! pital. Way to go CG! It is amazing to see how Page 3 Convent Glen E.S. School Happenings...Continued On March 26th, all primary students enjoyed a special performance by Yaki! It was a very lively and entertaining performance, filled with lots of audience participation. Fun was had by all! Newsletter Dates May June School Council and Parents’ Corner Please join us! Our next school council meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 1st at 6:30pm in the library. Please join us and make a difference in your child’s education! If child care is an issue for you, please call the school and let us know. We would be happy to make any necessary arrangements. Movie Night! Please join us on Thursday, April 10th as the Convent Glen School Council presents the movie “Monsters University”. Entrance to the movie is free, but please help support your School Council by purchasing snacks and raffle tickets. Pre-ordering your snacks or raffle tickets will give you a chance to win the VIP Family section! Doors to the gym open at 6:00 p.m. with the movie starting at 6:30pm sharp. Remember to bring along a blanket, pillow or lawn chair. Hope to see you there! Raffle Prizes were generously donated by Mickey Robertson Financial Advisor, Manulife Securities mickey.robertson@ manulifesecurities.ca (613) 746-7200 Ext. 229 School Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (SIPSA) Literacy Tips for Parents: Your child is growing up in a media-rich, technological world. Changes in society are happening so quickly that children need time to think about the underlying messages in print or in other media. Here are some ways you can help to foster critical literacy skills:    Help your child understand the speaker’s viewpoint or perspective Discuss the fairness of the message and look for the misleading effects of missing information Talk about how language is used to persuade people—for example, talk  about the powerful effects of language in advertising Ask if your child has learned something new that prompts new questions. Does it change what your child thinks about the topic? How can he or she find out if it is accurate? **IMPORTANT** PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We are always looking for parents and/or family members who can volunteer at our school. We are excited to have a new reading program at our school. However, this program requires a lot of photocopying, cutting, and prepping for teachers. If you have some time to donate, please call the main office. Thank you! Lost and Found We encourage students to check for lost items regularly. Our lost and found is located by the gym door, at the back entrance. Volume 8, Issue 1 Convent Glen E.S. Ottawa Public Health Healthy Bodies Additional Resources from Ottawa Public Health:  Healthy Smiles Ontario, Free Dental Programs  Dental Screenings—Why They Research shows healthy eating and being active can improve health regardless of weight changes. Weight is not always a good measure of health. Children look to adults as they develop their views about weight and body image. Parents can play a vital role in helping children feel good with their body, and to value and like themselves for who they are. What parents can do:  Help children know people come in many shapes and sizes.  Become aware of the messages and comments you send about your own body and other people’s bodies.  Teach your child not to tease others about weight.  Talk about how the media promotes an unrealistic body shape and size.  Praise your child for their talents and skills, and focus on health rather than on appearance. For more information contact Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 or visit www.ottawa.ca/health. Make a Differ- The Importance of Dental Screening ence *Please note: These resources will be posted on our website with this month’s newsletter. French Online Homework Help! Partnered with school boards across the country, Voilà Community Help is excited to provide FREE ONLINE HOMEWORK HELP IN FRENCH to students registered in a French immersion program. Live French teachers are now available online to help students every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, from 4 to 8 p.m. Ottawa Public Health supports children’s oral health in many ways such as screening children at school, Community Health Resource Centres and Public Health Dental Clinics. Dental screenings help identify oral health problems such as a dental abscess, infection and large visible cavities. Cavities can affect a child’s daily life both at home and at school. In fact, kids miss over 2 million days of school every year because of oral health problems. Cavities can affect your overall health by causing:  Pain and infection        Loss of sleep Poor concentration Problems speaking and learning Difficulty chewing Digestive problems Low self-esteem Bad breath For more information about dental screenings and other dental health services call Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744, e-mail DentalHealth@ottawa.ca or visit www.ottawa.ca/dental. Ottawa Public Health launches “Have That Talk” mental health video campaign Ottawa Public Health is pleased to launch the “have THAT talk” campaign. This includes a mental health video series created to give parents more information about mental health. The series covers where to get help and how to talk to children and youth about mental health. The program was launched on Bell Let’s Talk Day. Mental health problems affect 1 in 5 Canadians. Also, 75% of all of these problems start before the age of 24 years. Parents can watch these videos at www.haveTHATtalk.com to learn how they can talk about stress, coping, depression and when and where to get help. Please share these videos through Facebook, Twitter, or email. By talking openly about mental health, parents can help their children and youth become healthy and resilient adults. For more information and instructions on how to get connected, please visit: http://voilalearning.com or For more information contact Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 or visit www.ottawa.ca/health and call 1-866-900-0658 www.haveTHATtalk.com. Page 5 Convent Glen E.S. Important Parent Information ATTENDANCE LINE: 613-824-8177 *Please remember to call and report your child’s absence. Your message should include: your child’s full name (spelling the last name), grade, teacher’s name, reason for absence, and duration (if known). If an absence is not accounted for, the school office will contact parents. This newsletter contains important information. If you don’t understand it, please have it interpreted. Thank you. Cette lettre contient des informations importantes. Si vous ne la comprenez pas, faites la traduire, s'il vous plait. Merci. Warsidehan aad ayuu muhlim u yahay, hadii aad fahmi waydo turjubaan la raadso. Aad ayaad u Mahadsantahay. Sun Mon east@ottawaschoolbus.ca Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 School Council Meeting, 6:30pm Pizza Day Trip to the Sugar Bush (whole school) 6 7 8 9 10 Spring International Photo Day Day of PINK Movie Night, 6:00pm 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 ‫الشهرية تحوي‬ ‫علىمعلوماتمهمةج‬ .‫تعليم اوالدكم‬ ‫يمكنكم االتصال‬ Easter Monday HOLIDAY ‫بالمدرسة لغرض‬ ‫مساعدتكم في‬ 613-224-8800, Ext. 2852 April 2014 ‫مجلة المدرسة‬ ‫دا تخص مسيرة‬ TRANSPORTATION: Please call OSTA (Ottawa Students Transportation Authority) if you have any difficulties with your child’s bus/van route. They can be reached at East Zone: Band Good Performance Friday from Avalon HOLIDAY School, AM Pizza Day