Diamond Trail - School Improvement Plan February 2017

CRITICAL THINKING “Critical thinking is the identification and evaluation of evidence to guide decision making. A critical thinker uses broad in-depth

analysis of evidence to make decisions and communicate his/her beliefs clearly and accurately." A SUPER-STREAMLINED CONCEPTION OF CRITICAL THINKING Assuming that critical thinking is reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do, a critical thinker: 1. Is open-minded and mindful of alternatives. 2. Tries to be well-informed. 3. Judges well the credibility of sources. 4. Identifies conclusions, reasons, and assumptions. 5. Judges well the quality of an argument, including the acceptability of its reasons, assumptions, and evidence. 6. Can well develop and defend a reasonable position. 7. Asks appropriate clarifying questions. 8. Formulates plausible hypotheses; plans experiments well. 9. Defines terms in a way appropriate for the context. 10. Draws conclusions when warranted, but with caution. 11. Integrates all items in this list when deciding what to believe or do. Try these strategies with your child(ren) at home:

Ask open-ended questions. Asking questions that do not have one right answer encourages children to respond creatively without being afraid of giving the wrong answer. Categorize and classify. Classification plays an important role in critical thinking because it requires identification and

sorting according to a rule, or set of rules, that kids must discover, understand and apply. If you play classification games at home, be sure to follow up the activity with questions about the similarities and differences between the groups. You can sort everything from dirty laundry to Legos to produce to doll clothes to promote critical thinking.

Work in groups. In a group setting, students are exposed to the thought processes of their peers. Thus, they can begin to understand how others think and that there are multiple ways of approaching problems — not just one correct way.

Make decisions. Help your child consider pros and cons, but don't be afraid to let her make a wrong choice. Then evaluate the decision later. Ask your child, "How do you feel about your decision? What would you do differently next

time?"

Pam Spero Principal

905-734-3208

Amy Morocco Vice-Principal 905-734-3208

Wes Hahn Superintendent 905-641-1550

Sue Barnett Trustee

905-734-7110

Cell Phone Policy

At Diamond Trail, we recognize the fact that many of our students bring cell phones to school, and also that parents may prefer that their children have phones with them on the way to and from school, for safety reasons. We certainly support anything that contributes to the safety and well being of our students. However, we also take into consideration that cell phones can have a negative impact if they are misused in the school environment. A student with access to a cell phone during a lesson can become distracted from his or her learning, and there have been numerous accounts of students texting one another during class. There have also been accounts of cyber-bullying occurring during the school day through cell phone communication.

With this in mind, our policy is to allow students to bring cell phones to school, provided that they remain out of sight and are not used on school property without teacher approval. If a student needs to call home, they will be allowed to use the school phone. If parents need to contact their child, they may call the school. Should a student refrain from complying with the cell phone policy by using their cell phone without permission at school, the following steps will be taken. The first time, the student will be asked to put the phone away. The second time, the phone will be taken away and returned to the student at the end of the day. Parents will be informed. The third time, the phone will be taken away and the parent will be asked to come and pick up the phone. Thank you for helping to support student success.

DREAMBOX LEARNING MATH PROGRAM

Diamond Trail School has purchased DreamBox Learning’s Math Program. This is an exciting and fun

online math program that helps all students achieve better, faster math proficiency. Your child can access DreamBox from any computer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is no software to download. All you need is a high-speed internet connection and Adobe Flash. Adobe Flash is free and is included with many internet browsers. The link to use from home is https://play.dreambox.com/login/42cv/diamondtp You can also receive additional support by contacting DreamBox Client Care at 877-451-7845 or email sup-port@dreambox.com.

Pink Shirt Day (and Everyday)

Here is a snippet of the Globe & Mail article:

“David Shepherd, Travis Price and their

teenage friends organized a high-school

protest to wear pink in sympathy with a

Grade 9 boy who was being bullied [for

wearing a pink shirt]…[They] took a stand

against bullying when they protested

against the harassment of a new Grade 9

student by distributing pink T-shirts to all the

boys in their school. ‘I learned that two

people can come up with an idea, run with

it, and it can do wonders,’ says Mr. Price, 17,

who organized the pink protest. ‘Finally,

someone stood up for a weaker kid.’ So Mr.

Shepherd and some others headed off to a

discount store and bought 50 pink tank

tops. They sent out a message to school-

mates that night, and the next morning they

hauled the shirts to school in a plastic bag.

As they stood in the foyer handing out the

shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face

spoke volumes. ‘It looked like a huge weight

was lifted off his shoulders,’ Mr. Price re-

called. The bullies were never heard from

again.” Diamond Trail challenges it staff and

students to commit to a bully-free lifestyle

and to consider wearing pink on Feb 22,

2017. The Safe Schools Team has a number

of activities planned.

Come celebrate the great things happening at Diamond Trail.

DRAGONS DEN ASSEMBLY

Monday, February 6th at 2:00pm

PARKING LOT SAFETY Before and after school our parking lot seems to be quite busy. We are asking parents to please be patient and careful while driving through the parking areas around the school. Often students are getting off the buses and are not thinking about the vehicle traffic that may be coming between the buses. We want to see every child arrive safely to school. PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE HANDICAP spaces unless you have a Handicap Parking Permit.

EASTDALE NEWS Lead by our Student Council, our school collected and donated nonperishable food items to the Julie Turner and Dalton Jacques Memorial Hockey Game. The food will be donated to the Hope Center in Welland. We are proud of the caring and generous acts of our students and celebrate the caring community we cultivated at Eastdale. Looking ahead, students will finish their first semester classes and start exams at the end of January, semester two begins February 6th. Our Guidance Department has been helping our grads get ready for post secondary school. We have had the majority of the Ontario Colleges and Universities come to our school and make presentations so our grads have all the information to make a great decision about which program and school they want to attend. Our Chess team hosted the DSBN Secondary School tournament with fantastic results for the Eagles team, one of the largest Chess Teams in the school board! The Talon Times school newspaper is available online, read it at eastdale.dsbn.org Also available from our website is Eagle Spirit Wear, in case you are looking to get your soon to be grade 9 something special.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY

Friday, February 17th

FAMILY DAY Monday, February 20th

Elementary School Dental Screening Program

Free Dental Screening Coming to Diamond Trail!

A Public Health registered dental hygienist is scheduled to visit us February 7th, 8th and 10th to

provide dental screening to all students as required under the Health Protection and

Promotion Act.

During this time the registered dental hygienist will perform a quick visual inspection of each

child’s teeth to determine his/her dental needs. Parents will be contacted if their child requires

immediate dental care. The Healthy Smiles Ontario program may financially assist children who

do not have access to required dental care.

Please contact the Public Health dental program if you wish to exclude your child from

dental screening.

In addition to dental screening, ELKP students have an opportunity to receive an optional

free fluoride varnish application if they have returned a signed consent form

Call the Dental Health Line at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7399 or email

dental@niagararegion.ca.

SICK CHILDREN When to keep your child at home. Please keep your child at home and away from others if he or she has any of these symptoms:

Fever Diarrhea Vomiting Rash Frequent coughing or sneezing Yellow or green discharge from the

nose, ears, or eyes Sore throat

Contact your family doctor for advice about care and treatment. For more information, talk to your school nurse.

February is heart health month, a great time to assess habits and make healthy life-style choices to decrease your risk of heart disease; eat healthy, be physically active and reduce your stress level. Contact your school nurse for more information. Parent councils…why not organize a CPR training event for parents and caregivers? Visit www.heartniagara.com for more information.

BELL TIMES

Time Activity Instruction Time

8:50-10:35

Instructional Block 1 100 minutes

10:35-11:20

Fitness/Nutrition Break

11:20-1:00 Instructional Block 2 100 minutes

1:00-1:45 Fitness/Nutrition Break

1:45-3:25 Instructional Block 3 100 minutes

Stop The Spread of Infection 1. Stay home if you are sick and return when

you are well

2. Wash your hands with soap and water or

use a hand sanitizer

3. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue

or in your sleeve

4. Keep your distance

5. Get a flu shot

For more information, talk to your school nurse

or go to www.niagararegion.ca/health

DIAMOND TRAIL SCHOOL COUNCIL

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February, 28rd at 6:00pm. Please mark this date in your calendar and plan to attend our meeting in the Library.

There may be times during the school year where inclement weather or other situations could cause transportation cancellations or school closures. At times when student transportation has been cancelled and schools remain open, the decision of whether or not to have children in school on that day rests with the parent or guardian. Should you decide not to send your child to school in the event that transportation is cancelled but schools remain open, or if your child is ill or late, please ensure that you call the school to inform them of your child’s absence. A key resource in any emergency is the DSBN Emergency Information form that you filled out at the beginning of the school year. Please let the school know of any changes in contact information or procedures you wish to be followed throughout the school year. For secondary schools it may become necessary to cancel late buses. Notice will be provided via school announcements and on the websites and subscription features by 11:30 a.m. Information about transportation cancellations and school closures will be available as soon as it is available through the following channels: Websites: www.dsbn.org www.nsts.ca Subscription Features: DSBN Facebook or Twitter NSTS Transportation Delay or Cancellation Alerts Phone: Niagara Student Transportation Services 905-346-0290 Voice Auto Attendant Radio Stations:

Television Stations: CHCH– Hamilton CTV Toronto CityTV Breakfast Television Cogeco Channel 10

CKTB (610 AM) St. Catharines CHRE (105.7 FM) St. Catharines

WAVE (94.7 FM) Hamilton CHTZ-FM (97.7 FM) St. Catharines

CKOC (1150 AM) Hamilton CKEY (105.1 FM) Niagara Falls/Fort Erie

CHML (900 AM) Hamilton K-LITE-FM (102.9 FM) Hamilton

CHAM (820 AM) Hamilton GIANT FM (91.7 FM) Welland

Y-108(107.9) Hamilton

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURES

BREAKFAST CLUB NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!!

MORE STUDENTS ARE ATTENDING OUR PROGRAM AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

FOOD DONATIONS

Whole Wheat Bagels, Whole Wheat Bread, Whole Pitas,

Whole Wheat English Muffins, Yogurt, Yogurt Tubes, Cheese Slices, Mild Brick Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese,

Shreddies, Life Cereal, Multi-grain Cheerios,

Blueberry or Whole Wheat Waffles, Pancake Mix,

Cereal Bars, Whole Wheat Crackers, Oatmeal Cookies,

Ranch Dip, Mild Salsa, Jam, Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers,

Apples, Oranges, Any Fruit

MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR

SUPPORT!!!

ATTENTION PARENTS!!!!

Welland Public Library The Diamond Trail Branch library is open Monday-Thursday from 3:30pm-8pm and on Saturday from 11am-3pm. You can use your library card – and return items – at both the Diamond Trail Branch and our Main Branch downtown. We also offer weekly programs for children and adults. Come check out the fun that awaits you at the library! Weekly Children’s Programs Mondays*: Techno Mondays (5-12 years) @ 4:00 pm Discover and explore our new gizmos: littleBits, Sphero, Scratch, MaKey MaKey, Green Screen, Lego, iPads, Xbox One, Minecraft and more! (*no program on Feb. 20) Wednesdays: Craft Attack @ 4:00 pm Come by every Wednesday for a surprise DIY craft. Create and take home! Free program. Thursdays: Movie Thursdays @ 4pm Bring your friends and make Thursday after school a ‘movie night.’ Free popcorn! Saturdays: Songs, Stories & Smiles @ 1:00 pm Join our family story-time with crafts and activities. Main Branch PD Day Family Program: PD Day Birdfeeder Fun: Friday, February 17 @ 2:30 pm. Design your own birdfeeder using recycled materials.

Stay tuned for March Break programs happening all week long from

March 11-19!

Bullying vs. Conflict

We need to clearly identify the difference between conflict and bullying, in order to appropriately respond to bullying

incidents. While the two seem similar in some instances, there is actually a distinct difference. Bullying is a persistent pattern of unwelcome or aggressive behaviour that often involves an imbalance of power, and/or the intention to harm or humiliate someone. Conflict on the other hand is generally a disagreement or difference in opinion between peers who typically have equal power in their relationships. It’s usually an inevitable part of a group dynamic.