November 23rd, 2018

Doncrest eBulletin

DONCREST IS SCENT-FREE

A l l s ta f f , s tudents and v is i tor s ar e ask ed to r e fra in or min imize the use of scented pr oducts , as they can r esul t in adver se e f f ects on the heal th o f o ther s. The se pr oducts inc lude per fume, ha ir spr ay, a i r f r eshener s, a f ter shave and hand cream. Th is w eek w e had a se ver e a naphylact ic r eact ion caused by scent in the school .

PARENT-TEACHER INTERVIEWS

I t w as a p leasur e to see so many of our f ami l ies at parent - teacher in ter v iew s. W e hope that you found i t benef ic ia l to meet and d iscuss the str engths, needs and next s teps of your ch i ldr en. P lease w or k together to set a t ta inable goals f or the r est o f ter m 1.

HOLIDAY CONCERT – SAVE THE DATE!

Our ho l iday concer t w i l l tak e p lace on Thur sday, December 6 t h f r om 6: 30 -7 : 30 pm. The concer t w i l l show case our Doncr est band and choir a long w i th other f est ive p r esentat ions. M ore deta i ls w i l l be shar ed in the coming w eek s.

KINDERGARTEN WINTER CONCERT – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20TH 9:00-10:15 AM Kindergarten families are invited for a fun-filled morning watching the Kindergarten students sing and dance. Each class will perform a song and a dance, and we will all join together at the end for a finale song.

The concert will be held in the gym, and doors will open right after the morning announcements.

DROP & GO

In order to ensure a safe arrival for all, we are asking parents who walk their children to

school to please drop them on the school yard and let them line up at their door. Parents are

not permitted to walk their children into school. This helps build the independence that we

are striving to foster in our students. Thank you for your continued support.

CONTACT INFORMATION 124 Blackmore Ave. Richmond Hill L4B 2B1 Phone: 905-882-4480 Fax: 905-882-4558 Email: doncrest.ps@yrdsb.ca Office Hours: 8:30am - 3:30pm

PRINCIPAL Ruth Carmichael VICE-PRINCIPAL Lindsey Maclean

SUPERINTENDENT Michael Cohen TRUSTEE Carol Chan

Click here

for our

calendar

http://doncrest.ps.yrdsb.ca

Lunch Programs and Inclement Weather

Pizza and Sub days will no longer be cancelled on Inclement Weather days. Therefore, when

an Inclement Weather Bus Cancellation day falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, we will still be

providing pizza and subs. These lunches will not be saved if your child does not attend

school that day.

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

School bus service may be cancelled from time to time due to inclement weather, extreme temperatures and/or poor road conditions. In these cases, parents and students should develop alternate care/ transportation arrangements. Since some bussing schedules begin by 7:00 a.m. or earlier, all cancellation decisions must be made by 6:00 a.m. to ensure the safety of our students. Cancellation decisions will only be made after thorough consultation with school bus companies servicing York Region.

Decisions are based on several factors including precipitation, air temperature and road conditions. Please note the following:

• A decision to cancel school bus transportation may be system wide (where all buses in York Region are cancelled) or municipality specific (where buses in one or more municipalities are cancelled).

• If school bus transportation in your municipality is cancelled and your child attends school in a different municipality where service is operational, your child will not be transported to/from school.

• If school bus transportation in your municipality is operational and your child attends school in a different municipality where service is cancelled, your child will not be transported to/from school.

• If buses are cancelled in the morning, they will not operate in the afternoon. Therefore, students transported to school by parents will require the same transportation home.

Parents, students and school staff are asked to access the following radio and television stations after 6:00 a.m. to receive bus cancellation information:

RADIO 590 AM 640 AM 680 AM 860 AM 1010 AM 1050 AM 1540 AM 1580 AM 88.5 FM 89.9 FM 92.5 FM 93.1 FM 94.9 FM 95.9 FM 97.3 FM 98.1 FM 99.1 FM 99.9 FM 101.1 FM 102.1 FM 104.5 FM 100.7 FM 107.1 FM TELEVISION CITY TV THE A-CHANNEL CFTO TV CP24 GLOBAL NEWS

It is important that families also recognize that on inclement weather days special

events/field trips will be cancelled

Families are also encouraged to record / remember their child’s bus route number DRESSING FOR WINTER WEATHER Students are provided with recess from 10:15‐10:45 a.m. and 12:45‐1:25 p.m. (lunch). Part of

this break time is allocated for exercise in the fresh air. It is important to the health and well‐being of each student that they exercise and have outdoor activity. Students need to come to school dressed to play outside during recesses (hats, gloves/mittens, snow pants, boots, etc.). It is advisable for children to bring extra pants and socks in case they get wet, and to ensure they have indoor shoes at school. Being physically active during winter is an

essential part of a healthy lifestyle. The office staff keeps a close eye on weather conditions, including wind chill. When conditions necessitate, students will remain inside for recess, and/or reduced outdoor recesses may take place. If a student is well enough to attend school, then he/she will be expected to go outside for recess. We ask that parents be sensitive to the demands placed on our secretaries and not call the school to inquire about indoor recess, and that parents send their children dressed for outdoor play and ensure that students have all of the necessary clothes before coming to school to minimize interruptions in the office and to classrooms.

HOMEWORK CLUB A reminder of the new homework club at Doncrest. Homework club takes place on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7:30-8:20 in room 129 with Ms. Krumholz. Homework club is a space where students from any grade can come to receive homework support or a quiet space to complete any unfinished work. This is a fantastic opportunity so please encourage your child to take advantage of this.

DAILY ROUTINES

School starts promptly at 8:35 a.m. If your child arrives late to school, they are missing out on important learning.

Please do not drop your child off at school before 8:20 a.m. There is no supervision before 8:20.

Please ensure your child knows how he or she is getting home after school before the school day begins. When plans change at the end of the day it is very difficult for office staff to ensure that the message gets to your child. Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to ensure that every child gets home safely.

MEDICAL INFORMATION If your child requires Medication, has an Epi Pen or has other Health concerns please inform the office as soon as possible. There are additional forms that need to be filled out and are available in the office. If your child requires an Epi Pen, it needs to be worn on their person (i.e., in a pouch) and an extra one must be provided to the office.

SCHOOL DROP OFF REMINDERS

Supervision at Doncrest begins at 8:20 a.m.

The bus loop at the front of the school is for busses only. Cars are not permitted to enter the loop before or after school. This is also a fire route.

There should be no parking on Blackmore in front of the school at drop off times.

DO NOT turn around in private driveways or make U-turns on Blackmore Ave.

DO NOT pull out from the curb without indicating as well as checking your blind spot

The parking authority has been very active in distributing tickets to people who park in front of Doncrest.

Thank you for your continued efforts to keep Doncrest safe.

Absent or Late?

We will be continuing to use the Safe Arrival System this school year. Please ensure you call

the school to report a late arrival or an absence.

Spoons and Forks

Parents, please remember to pack

a spoon and/or fork in your child’s

lunch as we do not provide

cutlery.

Thank yu!

Pick-up Routine

If you are picking up your child(ren), please

arrange to meet him/her/them at their

dismissal door. Please avoid picking your

child up early as every minute of learning

counts.

If you plan to pick up your child early from

school you must call and arrive at the school

before 2:40 p.m. Requests after this time

will not be honoured as they disrupt our

dismissal procedure.

School Hours Supervision begins Entry Recess Lunch Dismissal

8:20 a.m. 8:35 a.m 10:15-10:45 a.m. 12:25-1:25 p.m. 3:05 p.m.

Upcoming…. Please visit our calendar page to view all upcoming events. Thank you!

Every Student Counts Survey

Dear Families,

On November 12, York Region District School Board invited all students to participate in the

Every Student Counts Survey (ESCS). Thank you to all of the families who have completed the

survey so far. Your participation is greatly appreciated.

This is a friendly reminder for families with child(ren) in Kindergarten to Grade 6 to please

complete the online survey at home with your child by November 30. Earlier this month, you

should have received a school letter with a link to the online survey. Families with more than

one child in Kindergarten to Grade 6 were asked to complete one survey per child.

The online survey is available in English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Farsi,

Gujarati, Hebrew, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese.

If you have misplaced your letter, please contact the school office. If you have already

completed the survey, please disregard this letter.

The ESCS is voluntary and confidential. Survey results will be used to help improve our schools

and to:

● Identify and eliminate systemic barriers to student success;

● Create more equitable and inclusive school environments; and,

● Improve student achievement and well-being.

A summary of the results (grouped data only) will be available at schools and on the Board’s

website in Spring 2019.

If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to contact me. Additional

information about the survey (i.e., FAQs and survey questions), is available at

www.yrdsb.ca/escs.

This important initiative will help us work together to create equitable and inclusive school

environments. Parents and guardians are our strongest partners in education and we thank you

for your support.

Sincerely,

Ruth Carmichael Lindsey Maclean

Principal Vice-Principal

Don’t forget to share the link with family and friends!

Doncrest Holiday Gift Card Fundraiser

This year, parent council is running a gift card fundraiser through

Fundscrip.com. Fundscrip will donate a percentage of all purchases to the

school, at NO extra cost to you! Your daily necessities can help support

Doncrest’s initiatives for new technology for the school. Turn your daily and

holiday shopping into support for your child’s education, at no added cost to

you!

The more you buy, the more money the school will get!

Why buy through Fundscrip?

Support your school at no extra cost

Easy gifts for family, friends and teachers

Avoid the crazy malls

Avoid last minute shopping

Use everyday shopping to help support your school

How to buy:

1 - Go online to https://www.fundscrip.com/support-a-group

2 – Enter the provided code - KYZVCD

3 – Select your gift cards and feel great that you made a difference for the

Doncrest community.

All gift cards will be mailed directly to YOU. Please make sure to enter your

email and mailing address correctly to ensure that you can track your order

and that it gets to you before the holidays.

DEADLINE to shop is Friday December 7, 2018

Thank you for your support and happy shopping!

Turn the page over to see special November and

December promotions. For a full list of retailers,

please check it fundscrip.com