Wow – December is here

and we are already one third

of the way through the

school year. What a busy

time it has been. We are

extremely proud of our stu-

dents and staff for all their

hard work over the past

three months. To the teach-

ers, educational assistants,

early childhood educators,

office staff, custodial staff,

lunchroom supervisors,

crossing guards, volunteers

and our SCC, a big thank

you!!

To all parents, thanks for

taking an active role in your

child’s education and your

ongoing support in our ef-

forts to ensure the success

of your children. The turn-

out for parent/teacher inter-

views on November 16th

FROM THE OFFICE—DECEMBER SEASON’S

GREETINGS

December 1, 2017 Number 4

Whitby Shores P.S.

Call of the Wild MISSION

STATEMENT

At Whitby Shores

Public School, our

mission is to inspire

all children to

achieve their full

potential academi-

cally, emotionally,

physically and so-

cially. We will work

cooperatively to

promote responsi-

bility for self, caring

for other people

and the natural en-

vironment, and ser-

vice to the local

community and be-

yond.

CONTACT US

Mr. D. Hogg

Principal

Mrs. S. Christopher

Vice-Principal

Mrs. C. Sullivan

Administrative

Assistant

Telephone:

905-666-6667

Fax:

905-666-6673

and 17th was excellent – so

grateful to have such an in-

volved and supportive com-

munity.

With December upon us, I

believe the winter weather is

here to stay. Please make

sure that your child comes

to school dressed for the

conditions as we will be go-

ing outside unless very se-

vere conditions force us to

do otherwise.

The last day of classes for all

students is Friday, December

22, 2017 with a regular dis-

missal time of 3:20pm. Clas-

ses will resume on Monday,

January 8, 2018.

On behalf of the entire

Whitby Shores staff, we

would like to wish all of our

families a wonderful holiday

season filled with friends and

families. Please enjoy this

special time of year!

D. Hogg

Principal

WINTER CONCERTS IN DECEMBER– A TIME TO

CELEBRATE

“Doing your

best means

never stop

trying.”

Benjamin

Franklin

Our Kindergarten, Primary

students and Intermediate

Band are looking forward

to showcasing their talents

for you at the Winter Con-

certs that will take place on

the following dates:

Primary Winter Con-

cert and Intermediate

Band: Wednesday, Decem-

ber 13th at 6:30 pm

Kindergarten Holiday

Concert: Thursday, De-

cember 14th at 6:30 pm

Gymnasium Doors will

open at 6:00 pm both eve-

nings. We look forward to

seeing students and family

members out for the even-

ing! As usual, we will be

collecting non-perishable

food items, clothing, hats

and mittens. Thank you to

our Primary and Kindergar-

ten teachers and to our

supporting staff for your

work in preparing for these

evenings.

NEW THIS YEAR: Super

Winter Concert Package

Draw

Do you want front row

seats for the winter con-

cert? We have the answer

for you!! We will be holding

a draw for a super winter

concert package that in-

cludes 4 front row concert

tickets and a reserved park-

ing spot. There will be one

winner for the primary con-

cert and one winner for the

kindergarten concert. Tick-

FOOD, CLOTHING AND TOY DRIVE

Once again, this year, begin-

ning December 1st , Whit-

by Shores PS will be accept-

ing donations of toys, mitts,

hats, scarves, diapers, for-

mula and/or canned foods

for our annual Toy and

Food Drive. Our donations

will be used to assist needy

families in nearby communi-

ties. Donations can be

dropped off under our front

foyer tree until December

20th. Thank you for your

support and for the support

of our hard working Inter-

mediate students who will

help organize and pack

items during the final week

before the holidays.

ets will cost $2 each or 5

for $5. All money collected

will be donated to buy pre-

sents for a local toy drive.

If you wish to buy tickets,

please send in exact change

with a note for the number

of tickets with your child

between December 4-8.

There are different tickets

for the kindergarten and

primary concert so please

make sure to send the

money to the correct

teacher. Students will be

given tickets to fill in and

place in a bucket until the

draw on Monday, Decem-

ber 11th (winner will be

contacted on Monday). No

tickets will be going home

as we don’t want them to

get lost. Good Luck!!

LUNCHROOM SUPERVISORS—THANK YOU!

Our lunchroom supervisors

at Whitby Shores are

WONDERFUL! From su-

pervising in the hallways to

encouraging fun and safe

play outside, we are fortu-

nate to have them. They

work collaboratively with all

school staff and help stu-

dents solve problems both

big and small. They are:

Mrs. Aamir, Mrs. Ajazi, Mrs.

D’Souza, Mrs. Dillon, Mr.

Hackbush, Mr. Lagler, Mrs.

Marcos, Mrs. Patterson,

Mrs. Rizvi, and Mrs. Saun-

ders.

STAFFING UPDATE

DURHAM

DISTRICT

SCHOOL

BOARD

Success in

learning to

meet the

challenges

of the

future.

In staffing news, we would

like to thank Mr. Allicock

for everything he did here

while being at Whitby

Shores and we wish him all

the best. We also welcome

back Mrs. Stewart to the

Whitby Shores team. Whit-

by Shores continues to be a

fantastic community of learn-

ing, caring and action.

PRIMARY CRAFT ROTATIONS

During the last week of

school before the break,

December 18th to 21st,

Grades 1 to 3 will be par-

ticipating in their annual

craft rotations. Each craft

will be supervised by a pri-

mary teacher. The students

will be placed into mixed

groups and rotate through a

different craft each session.

Your child will have lots of

fun and bring home many

crafts to decorate your

home!

INCLEMENT WEATHER

During inclement weather,

the Durham District

School Board attempts to

keep schools open. It is

the parents’ responsibility

to decide if conditions are

safe for their children to

walk to and from

school. Be sure to call

‘Safe Arrival’ if your child

will not attending. In the

case of extreme weather,

WINTER CLOTHING

As our warm fall changes to

colder weather, please keep

in mind that your children

may spend up to 60 minutes

of every school day outside

and need to keep their bod-

ies warm. This

highlights the need for

warm, dry outside clothing

and hats, mitts, scarves and

boots. It would also be very

helpful to have all belong-

ings labelled. We also take

the time to remind our

older students to dress

warmly during the winter

months ahead. Wintery

weather will be here to stay

soon enough.

please listen to one of the

local radio/tv news stations

listed below for notices of

transportation cancella-

tions and school closures:

CP NEWS 24, KX96-FM

95.9, CFRB-AM 1010, 680-

AM News, CBC/CBL 99.1,

Q107-FM 107.1, CHFI-FM

98.1, CHUM –FM 104.5,

Y92-FM 91.9, EZ ROCK

97.3, CICX 105.9. Our

new weather zone areas

are posted on the school

and board websites.

KEEP THE SNOW ON THE GROUND

Snow is fun when it arrives,

but please remind your chil-

dren that the snow must

stay on the ground while at

school. This reminder is

both timely and important

to the safety of our stu-

dents: throwing snow is not

permitted on school

grounds due to obvious

safety concerns. For throw-

ing snow, the first offence

will result in a discussion

with administration. The

student’s name will be rec-

orded and the student will

serve a recess detention. If a

second incident occurs, the

student’s name is recorded,

parents are notified and the

student serves another de-

tention. The third incident

may result in a suspension

and parents are notified.

Please discuss this with your

child(ren). We appreciate

your support in keeping

students safe.

We always encourage par-

ents to get in touch with

school staff regarding

school related concerns.

Please do not hesitate to

telephone or make an ap-

pointment to visit the

school. The following is a

list of school personnel

who will assist you:

Classroom Teacher:

Anything related to a sub-

ject or classroom question

can be resolved by contact-

ing the particular teacher.

Administrative Assis-

tant: Mrs. Sullivan will an-

swer general school ques-

tions or direct you to the

appropriate person. Tele-

phone 905-666-6667.

Principal and Vice-

Principal: Mr. Hogg and

Mrs. Christopher can assist

you with any questions

which relate to the school.

Please speak to the class-

room teacher first if your

question is subject or class-

room related.

Administrative Officer:

Mr. Fitchett can be contact-

ed to clarify/answer any

regional questions or ques-

tions that were not an-

swered at the school 905-

666-5500.

Superintendent of

Schools: Mrs. Robinson can

be contacted to clarify/

answer any regional ques-

tions at 905-666-5500.

Trustees: Your elected

trustees are:

Christine Winters-Feret

905-430-6050 Christi-

nel.wintersferet@ddsb.ca

Kim Zeppieri

905-668-7782 kimber-

ly.zeppieri@ddsb.ca

They both welcome your

input on educational matters.

CLEAR COMMUNICATION

DATES OF SIGNIFICANCE—DECEMBER

December 1 - World Aids Day – United Nations

World AIDS Day is held on December 1st, each year and is an opportunity for people

worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV

and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first global health

day, held in 1988.

DATES OF SIGNIFICANCE—DECEMBER

DURHAM

DISTRICT

SCHOOL

BOARD

Success in

learning to

meet the

challenges

of the

future.

December 2 - International Day for the Abolition of Slavery – United Nations

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, marks the date of the adoption, by the General As-

sembly, of the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Ex-

ploitation of the Prostitution of Others (resolution 317(IV) of December 2, 1949).

The focus of this day is on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons,

sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of

children for use in armed conflict.

December 3- 24 – Advent (Christian)

The Advent season lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas. At that time, the new Christian year

begins with the twelve-day celebration of Christmastide, which lasts from Christmas Eve until Epiphany

on January 6. (Advent begins on the Sunday that falls between November 27th and December 3rd each

year.) Advent symbolizes the present situation of the church in these “last days” (Acts 2:17, Hebrews

1:2), as God’s people wait for the return of Christ in glory to consummate his eternal kingdom. The

church is in a similar situation to Israel at the end of the Old Testament: in exile, waiting and hoping in

prayerful expectation for the coming of the Messiah. Israel looked back to God’s past gracious actions

on their behalf in leading them out of Egypt in the Exodus, and on this basis they called for God once

again to act for them. In the same way, the church, during Advent, looks back upon Christ’s coming in

celebration while at the same time looking forward in eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s king-

dom when he returns for his people.

December 3 – International Day of Disabled Persons – United Nations

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is marked around the world annually on December

3rd, as per General Assembly resolution 47/3 of October 14 1992, to promote awareness and mobilize

support for critical issues pertaining to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society and develop-

ment.

December 10 – Human Rights Day – United Nations

Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10th. It commemorates the day on which, in

1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In

1950, the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V), inviting all States and interested organizations to observe

December 10th, of each year as Human Rights Day encouraging people to stand up for someone’s

rights.

December 12 – 20 – Hanukkah – Judaism

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights (and the Feast of Dedication), commemorates the victory of Judah the

Maccabee and religious freedom, and the rededication of the Temple in 165 BCE. It also celebrates the

power of God and the faithfulness of Israel.

December 24 - Last day of Advent - Christianity

On December 17th Christians enter into the last days of Advent, the seven days before the Vigil of

Christmas.

December 25 – Christmas Day – Christianity

Christmas celebrates the anniversary of the birth of Jesus. In 336 A.D., the Catholic Church declared

that it commemorates Jesus’ birth on this date. This date is celebrated in different ways around the

world, with traditions as diverse as the cultures from which they come.

December 26 – January 1 -Kwanzaa – African Heritage

Kwanzaa is celebrated by many North Americans of West African descent in recognition of their African

heritage. The candles of a seven-branched candelabrum representing attributes such as unity, self-

determination, responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith are successively lit

over the seven days of the festival.

DURHAM

DISTRICT

SCHOOL

BOARD

Success in

learning to

meet the

challenges

of the

future.

Whitby Shores P.S.

485 Whitby Shores

Greenway

Whitby, Ontario

L1N 0G8

Phone: 905-666-6667

Fax: 905-666-6673

E-mail: WhitbyShoresPS@ddsb.ca

OUR WHITBY TRUSTEES

Christine Winters-Feret 905-430-6050

Christinel.wintersferet@ddsb.ca

Kim Zeppieri 905-668-7782

kimberly.zeppieri@ddsb.ca

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

www.ddsb.ca/school/whitbyshores

Dec 1 Celebration Assemblies K to 3 @9:05am/4 to 8

@10:25am

Popcorn Day

Dec 8 Pizza Lunch

Dec 12 Subway Lunch

Dec 13 Primary Winter Concert @ 6:30pm

Dec 14 Kindergarten Winter Concert @ 6:30pm

Dec 19–21 Primary Craft Rotations

Dec 20 Last Day for Food, Clothing and Toy Drive Donations

Dec 21 Family Movie Night @ 6:00pm

Dec 22 Celebration Assemblies Gr 4 to 8 @ 9:05am/K to 3 @ 10:25am

Last Day before Christmas Break 3:20pm dismissal

Jan 8, 2018 School Begins at 8:50am

ON THE

TRAIL

TO

LEARNING ,

CARING

AND

ACTION