@DrRBondarPSdr.roberta.bondar.ps@yrdsb.caCONTACT FOLLOW

@DrRBondarPSdr.roberta.bondar.ps@yrdsb.caCONTACT FOLLOW

Dr. Roberta BondarPublic School 401 Grand Trunk Ave Vaughan, Ontario L6A 0T4,

T: 905.417.8046 F: 905.417.8492

Wendy HowesPrincipal

Joe GoldVice Principal

May 2017From the Administrative Team

April has been a busy month and there is more awesomeness to

come. Students participated in active and healthy living by learning

an awesome dance with the help of Bounce Entertainment and will

be performing it as a flashmob in June.. Students participated in an

eco-friendly activity by beautifying the environment during the

Vaughan 20-minute makeover. Bondar also participated in the

second Amazing Math Race evening where families got together and

engaged in rich tasks promoting critical thinking and application of

math skills while having a tremendous amount of fun. There was

some serious competition amongst many families but at the end of

the day everyone had a great time, engaged in some learning, and

got to take home an amazing loot bag.

Now that the nice weather is coming, there will be many opportuni-

ties for students and families to participate in activities that support

Mental Health and well-being. Walk, ride your bike or scooter to

school. Take stairs instead of an escalator. Skip, hop or jump to put a

bounce in your step when traveling from one place to the next.

Check out more great ideas in this newsletter.

May is going to be a very busy month with lots going on. Please

check out the calendar for upcoming events in this newsletter. You

can also find out information on our school websi te

(http://bit.ly/2bY1AyT), on Twitter (@DrRBondarPS), on our school

sign, or by calling 905-417-8046.

Ms. W. HowesPrincipal

Mr. J. GoldVice Principal

Ms. L. AversaTrusteeT: 905.727.0022

Mr. P. ValleSuperintendent of SchoolsT: 905.764.6830

Click each of the following to access the timely and thought-

provoking information contained within this newsletter:

Inside this Month’sDr. Roberta Bondar Public SchoolNewsletter

May

Important Dates

at DRBPS

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Welcome to Kindergarten

Library Corner

Athletics

A Message from Public Health

A Message from our School Council Chairs

Literacy and Math Corners

French Corner

Are You Planning on Moving?In planning for next year’s classes, it is most helpful to know if your child or

children will be attending another school in September 2017 (high school not

included). If your child(ren) will not be returning, please complete and return

to your child’s teacher. If your child currently attends Dr. Roberta Bondar P.S.

and you have moved out of the school’s attendance area, please contact Mrs.

Taylor at the school office. Mrs. Taylor will advise you on how to make ar-

rangements for your child’s September placement at their new school.

Student Name: _____________________________________________

will not be returning to Dr. Roberta Bondar P.S. in September 2017.

Next School: _______________________________________________

1 Music Monday

1 School CouncilMeeting (6:30 p.m.)

1-5 Mental Health Week

3 ImmunizationsGrades 7 and 8

3 Jump Rope 4 HeartKick Off Assembly

10 Grades 7 and 8Gauss Math Contest

10 Battle of the Booksat Carnegie

16 Track and FieldGrades 4–8

17 Special Needs Trackand Field

19 Jump Rope 4 HeartDay

22 Victoria Day(No School)

23 EQAO: Primary andJunior (To June 5)

25 KindergartenOrientation Evening6:30 p.m.

29 Character Assemblies8:35 4-8; 9:10 K–3

29 Bike to School Week

Upcoming Dates

at DRBPS: June

1 Spring Concert (Grades1–8) at Stephen LewisHigh School

2 PA Day (No School)

15 School Funfair

21 Grade 8 Graduation

Job Opportunity With The Lunch LadyLooking for friendly, kind people to help serve lunch to

students in Elementary Schools in your community.

Great part-time job for stay-at-home parent or grandpar-

ent. Hours range from 11:00a.m. to 1:00p.m. daily,

Monday to Friday. This is a fun, “feel good” part-time

job, ranging from 1–2 hours per day, 1–4 days per week.

Must have a vehicle and some experience with children.

Police check is required. Will provide all training. If in-

terested, please send resume to lavinia@thelunchlady.ca or call me to discuss

at: 905-482-2851. Thank you for your interest.

Lavinia The Lunch Lady

A Message from

our School

Council Chairs

Bondar Rockets School Council

Save the date!!

Bondar Rockets School

Council is happy to

announce that the 2nd Annual

Fun Fair will be held on Thursday, June

15, from 5:00p.m to 8:00p.m, at the school. Families can look

forward to:

Bouncy Castles for kids of all ages

Food Trucks to satisfy different cravings

Face Paining

BOUNCE Entertainment and DJ with lots of music and dancing

Raffle draw with a of roundtrip tickets from WestJet and

other prizes

Vendor Tables with lots of activities

Enjoying an evening with Bondar friends and Family

Detailed information will be sent out in the coming weeks. Last year we had

an amazing fair and we are set to have even more fun this year!

We are looking for parent volunteers who can help us out for even one hour

during the fair. Without the help of Bondar parents, we cannot pull off an

e v e n t a s a m a z i n g a s t h i s f a i r . P l e a s e c o n t a c t u s a t

bondarrocketsschoolcouncil@gmail.com if you are able to help in any way!

We are also looking for raffle prize donations from local businesses. If you

are able to help with this or know any business that would like to help

support our school through a prize donation, please contact us at

bondarrocketsschoolcouncil@gmail.com

We would also like to thank the parents that have continued to help out at all

council events including weekly pizza and sub lunch. We truly appreciate

your time, help and everything you do for our school and our kids!

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GRAND PRIZEMANY

The Welcome to Kindergarten program (WTK) offers re-

sources and strategies for families in support of children and

early learning. Our school will be hosting our WTK Family

Orientation session on May 25 from 6:30p.m.–7:30p.m.

Click to access Learning to Play and Playing to Learn:HERE

Getting Ready for School is a wonderful booklet for families

in helping their child prepare for a successful transition to kin-

dergarten. We look forward to seeing you on May 25 from

6:30p.m.–7:30p.m.!

Talk Read Sing Play every day!

YRDSB Survey for

Parents/GuardiansWe will be inviting parents/guardians to participate in a

survey May 1-19, 2017. This survey provides an impor-

tant opportunity for parent/guardian voice. Results will

be used to guide planning to support student achieve-

ment and well-being.

You may complete the survey online or on paper. The

online survey will be available in English. Paper sur-

veys will be available from the school office in English,

Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Farsi,

Gujarati, Hebrew, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Sri

Lankan Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese.

We value your input and encourage you to complete the

survey. The information you provide will be anony-

mous, considered confidential and kept in strict accor-

dance with all relevant legislation. Information about

how to access the online survey will be sent home with

students at the end of April. Please contact the school if

you have any questions.

Music is Alive at BondarThe Junior Band, Glee Club and Intermediate Band all

worked very hard preparing for the Music Alive festival

in April, where they each represented Dr Roberta.

Bondar P.S. and made us all super proud. Each group

performed extremely well and was awarded a Gold cer-

tificate for their performances.

On Monday, May 1, 2017, we will be celebrating

Music Monday. This is an important date, as it is an ini-

tiative of the coalition for music education to bring

awareness of the importance of music education and to

celebrate music across the country on the same day at

the same time. We will be celebrating by singing our

school song with the intermediate band accompanying.

On June 1, 2017, our annual Spring Concert will be tak-

ing place. Please save the date as this will promise to

be a very enjoyable night, and students have been work-

ing very hard to prepare for this (More info to come).

Walk, Scooter, or Bike to SchoolAs the weather gets warmer, we encourage families and

students to walk, scooter or bike to school daily.

Physical activity in the morning is an awesome way

for students to start their day. In addition to stu-

dents feeling awake and alert, it will help reduce your

frustration level with the on-going struggles of the Kiss

N Ride. Leave the car at home and promote healthy liv-’

ing by walking, scootering, or biking to school daily!

Library CornerMay looks to be a fun filled month in the Library with author visits. On Friday, May 5, Grade

7 & 8 students will hear author, Alessia Dickson. This accomplished Grade 12 student will

share her passion for writing with our school community. Check out www.alessiadickson.ca/.

Parents/guardians are welcome to attend the presentation on Monday, May 5 at 8:30 a.m. in

the gym. Copies of Alessia’s book, , will be available for purchase for

$20.00.

We are pleased to have award winning author, Michael Wade come DRBPS on Monday, May 8. Michael Wade

writes an engaging series called, . Parents/Guardians are welcome to attend the author

presentations in the gym (times are below). Michael will have books available for sale for $5.00. The complete

13-book set is available for $40.00 (regularly $100.00).

8:30–9:15 a.m. Presentation 1: Grades 3 and 4 | 9:35–10:15 a.m. Presentation 2: Grades 5 and 6.

In the fall, author Scott Graham came to DRBPS and shared his hilarious stories about believing in yourself

and developing leadership skills. He generously donated a set of books to the

DRBPS Library. Four finkle books are now available in the Library:

, ,

and . Scott also wrote,

, a book that contains the information he teaches in his Kids4Kids program.

Scott is currently leading Kids4Kids workshops in the Library on Tuesdays.

Since January, a group of committed Grade Eight students have been coming to the library every Tuesday to as-

sist students from Grades 1–7 with class assignments and homework. Our Student Success Club, was just that –

a success! Our Grade Eights could further develop their leadership skills, while providing a safe and comfort-

able environment for students to ask questions, listen and work together. The students attending each week

worked on not only their reading and math skills, but developed friendly rapports with one another. A huge

thank you goes out to all the teachers who helped out, and to our students who shared their time with us (we

know that the Grade Eights are especially busy once Term Two rolls around). A special thank you to Ms.

Lonsway, our Teacher-Librarian for keeping the library open after hours!

Crystal Chronicals

And Then It Happened

The

Fantastical Town of Finkle The Attack of the Moo Moo Chickens Horrible

Happenings, Revenge of the Moo Moo Chickens Heroes of

Hope

Michael Wade Presentation

Scott Graham

Student Success Club – A Total Hit!

Note:

Literacy Corner

Ten Ways Parents Can Help Their Young

Children Read

1. Teaching reading will only help. Sometimes, parents

are told early teaching is harmful, but it isn’t true.

You simply can’t introduce literacy too early.

2. Talk to your kids (a lot). Reading is a language

activity, and if you want to learn language, you’d

better hear it, and eventually, speak it.

3. Read to your kids. Reading to kids exposes them to

richer vocabulary than they usually hear from the

adults who speak to them, and can have positive

impacts on their language, intelligence, and later

literacay achievement.

4. Have them tell you “a story.” One great way to

introduce kids to literacy is to take their dictation.

Have them recount an experience or make up a story.

5. Teach phonemic awareness. Young children don't

hear the sounds within words. Thus, they hear “dog,”

but not the “duh”-“aw”-“guh.” To become readers,

they have to learn to hear these sounds (or

phonemes). Play language games with your child.

For instance, say a word, perhaps her name, and then

change it by one phoneme: Jen-Pen , Jen-Hen ,

Jen-Men. Or, just break a word apart: chair… ch-ch-

ch-air.

6. Teach phonics (letter names and their sounds). You

can’t sound out words or write them without knowing

the letter sounds.

7. Listen to your child read. When your child starts

bringing books home from school, have them read to

you. If it doesn’t sound good (mistakes, choppy

reading), have them read it again.

8. Promote writing. Literacy involves reading and

writing. Having books and magazines available for

your child is a good idea, but it's also helpful to have

pencils, crayons, markers, and paper. Encourage your

child to write.

9. Ask questions. When your child reads, get her to

retell the story or information. If it’s a story, ask who

it was about and what happened. If it’s an

informational text, have your child explain what it

was about and how it worked, or what its parts were.

Reading involves not just sounding out words, but

thinking about andremembering ideas and events.

10. Make reading a regular activity at home. Make

reading a part of your daily life, and kids will learn

to love it.

Source: readingrockets.org

Math CornerThe HOME CONNECTIONS link

below will lead you to hands-on ac-

tivities so that parents, guardians,

caregivers and other family mem-

bers can help support the development of mathematics abili-

ties in Kindergarten to Grade 6 learners. It includes tips as

well as practical activities that can be used at home and in

your local community.

http://oame.on.ca/mathies/activitiesTogether.html#HC

Hot Weather Action Plan at DRBPSWarm weather brings with it enjoyable activities, but hot

weather can also endanger our health because of heat stress.

At DRBPS, we have a Hot Weather Action Plan that im-

plemented when the humidex reaches or exceeds 35 degrees

Celsius.

The Hot Weather Action Plan includes:

Use of board approved fans in the classrooms to circulate

air.

Keeping blinds, curtains closed in classrooms directly

exposed to sunlight and turn off any unnecessary lights

Limit outdoor activities

Encourage the drinking of water for re-hydration

Parents are reminded to:

Send students to school with light clothing that adheres to

our dress code.

Apply sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher)

Send students with a wide brimmed hat for outdoor re-

cesses

Sign-up for school e-mails by providing the office with your

correct email address. Also, please register for School Cash

Online to be able to sign up for school trips, community

events, and more! Call 905-417-8046 if you have any ques-

tions.

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Stay in the Know

French Corner...

FluentU

MindSnacks

Roseta Stone (free for a demo account)

Duolingo (free)

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Apprendre Francais avec Technologie!

What a great time to be learning French!

Do you have a smartphone or an Ipad? If so, you and your

child can learn with French podcasts, Youtube channels, and

music. Here’s a list of a few great apps to learn french:

: A free video-based learning platform, FluentU

takes the web’s best French videos, and turns them into lan-

guage learning experiences. It features clips from a wide va-

riety of different contexts, so you get a sense of how French

is spoken in different places. Clips can include anything

from TV shows, music videos, commercials, French movie

trailers, so you can learn how French people actually talk.

A game oriented approach for students to

learn and revise french words, MindSnacks helps you learn

new words through nine games. The app is divided up into

different units of vocabulary like food, job, transport, and

for each vocabulary set, you can use these games to help

learn and strengthen these words. In one game, a word

flashes on the screen, and you have to match it to the draw-

ing. Get as many right every round for high scores. In an-

other game, a bunch of French words and English words ap-

pear as balloons. Your challenge is to match as many pairs

as possible.

Rosetta Stone

sets itself apart from many other language methodologies

by offering a completely immersive experience. From the

very beginning, it teaches French purely through French –

there’s not a word in English inside the course. By doing

this, it simulates the environment that it believes is most

conducive to learning a new language. Pictures are used to

help students understand the french.

Duolingo probably strikes the best bal-

ance between learning French and being fun, like a game.

What Duolingo does is it breaks down everything, adjec-

tives, question words, tenses, abstract nouns (words like

“feelings”), technical terms, and chunks them together into

neat units. Inside every unit, there are sub-units, where

Duolingo teaches you about seven new words. It does this

through a combination of fun exercises such as rearranging

sentences, matching a picture to the word, and repeating a

phrase in French to be assessed. And there are only about

20 of these questions per unit, so you can get through it

pretty quickly. The great thing about Duolingo is that you

don’t need a huge time commitment to use this. If you only

take 20 minutes every day to go through 3–4 units, you can

probably get through all the units in Duolingo in three

months. That’s 1,500 french words in three months!

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Basketball

Intramural Soccer

The Junior Boys basketball team has been practicing for the past two months in preparation for

the area qualifiers that took place on April 21. The boys played with heart, passion and determi-

nation in round robin play. They played Maple Creek in the semi-final game and won a close

one 24–21. Unfortunately they fell short to Romeo Dallaire in the final game. Congratulations

on great play by: Feyzullah, Nathaniel, Nicholas, Daniel, Raoul, Jalal, Dorian, Muddassir,

Matius, Daanish, Param, Thomas, Keian, Jayden and Saanjay. Coaches Dais and Belanger are

proud of you!

The Grade 5/6 intramural indoor soccer season at Dr. Roberta Bondar has begun! We have 40

dedicated students developing their dribbling, passing, and shooting skills. Not only are students

improving their health and wellness, but they are given opportunities to work as a team with stu-

dents from other classes, enhance positive competition, and develop positive character. So far

our winning teams are the Bears, Tigers, and Eagles. However, we have many more upcoming

games. Keep up the hard work Rockets!

Athletics

A Message From Public Health

Did you know?

In the 2017/18 school year, York Region Public Health will visit all elementary schools to provide school immunization clinics to

Grade 7 students. The clinics offer vaccines for Hepatitis B, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Meningococcal A, C, Y, W-135 at

no cost.

Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, meningococcal vaccine is required for school attendance, unless an exemption is

filed with public health. Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines are recommended, but not required for school attendance. Parents of

students entering Grade 7 in fall 2017 will receive consent forms in the mail in June. Please complete the consent form and return

it to York Region Public Health to allow your child to participate in the immunization clinics. Detailed instructions can be found

on the forms and accompanying letter. If the consent form is not completed, your child will not be able to receive vaccines at the

clinic.

Parents and guardians who do not consent should still complete the forms and return them, indicating that you do not authorize

York Region Public Health to immunize your child. Visit york.ca/immunizations and click on School Immunization Clinics for

more information.

If your child has missed a required vaccination on Ontario’s routine immunization schedule, he/she can receive

the vaccine at one of York Region Public Health’s Community Immunization Clinics. These evening clinics are offered

throughout the summer, giving students the opportunity to catch up before returning to school. Visit york.ca/immunizations and

select Community Immunization Clinics to learn more.

A Message from the Healthy Schools Committee

May 1st to May 5th, 2017 is Mental Health Awareness Week!

Even though being physically healthy is essential, we can’t forget about our mental health. Mental Health involves how we feel,

think, act and interact with the world around us. It is about coping with the stresses of life and contributing to our community. Ask

for help or seek advice from someone with expertise — give your mental health the attention it needs and deserves.

During this week, Dr. Roberta Bondar P.S. will be supporting the Canadian Mental Health Association’s 66th Annual Mental

Health Campaign to .

What does it mean to ?

It means speaking up to stop the discrimination and the stigma directed towards people with mental illnesses. We will be

encouraging classes to speak up about the importance of mental health and use their voices to raise awareness and build support.

Tips on how you can can be found on CMHA’s website, www.mentalhealthweek.ca.

Positive Mental Health Tips:

Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing problems with your mental health.

Contact your local CMHA branch at cmha.ca/.

Check with your employer, or your benefit provider: your Employee Assistance Plans (EAP) or benefits may provide

counselling services.

Reach out to people you trust: personal connections are some of the most powerful healing tools.

Live well: a healthy lifestyle can boost your mood.

#GETLOUD

#GETLOUD

#GETLOUD

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Bike To School Week

Get your helmets !!! May 29–June 2 is Bike toREADY

School Week, where students and staff are encouraged to

ride their bicycles to school to promote active living. Any

student who rides their bike to school that week will

receive a raffle ticket, which will be put into a draw to

win a prize. The you the chances to youMORE RIDE MORE

have to !!WIN

The Healthy Schools Committee will be handing out

raffle tickets in front of the school bike rack from 8:00

a.m. to 8:12 a.m., so don’t be late and remember your

BIKE SAFETY!!

Here are some TIPS on how to stay safe:

� Wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet

� Adjust your bicycle to fit you properly

� Check that your tires and brakes are

� Wear brightly coloured clothing or reflective tape

� Stay alert at all times

� Watch out for cars and road hazards

Jump Rope For HeartSupporting kids’ health for more than 30 years, Heart & Stroke

Jump Rope for Heart encourages kids to get active by skipping

rope and other physical activity, while they raise awareness and

collect pledges for heart disease and stroke research. This

program gives children the chance to jump and play alongside 750,000 other kids in more

than 4,000 schools across Canada.

Jump Rope for Heart also features simple challenges and information that teach kids the

benefits of being active and eating healthy. It’s a fun way for the whole family to learn how

to live long, healthy lives. Support your child in this exciting journey for a great cause!

Making a donation is an individual choice and not dependent on whether your child gets to

participate in the event. Jump Rope for Heart is an all-inclusive, non-competitive event.

Please consider supporting your child’s fundraising efforts by making a cash or cheque

donation in the amount of your personal choosing. All cheques should be written to “Heart

and Stroke Foundation ” All donations of $20 or more are eligible for a tax receipt, so please.

fill in donor information on the pledge form!

Students can also fundraise online at www.jumpropeforheart.ca. Fundraising online is the

best way to reach your child’s fundraising goal and earn great Thank You prizes. Here’s

why:

� Get a FREE $5 kick-start when you register your child to fundraise online.

� It’s safe and secure. Your privacy and personal information is important to us.

� Easy to contact out-of-town family and friends. Use email, Facebook, Twitter and

LinkedIn to send links to your child’s personal fundraising page.

� Instant tax receipts. Your donors get tax receipts via email. There’s no need for you to

keep track.

� Less hassle. Save time keeping track of donations.

� Save some trees. Online means less paper — and that’s a more environmentally con-

scious way to raise funds.

Envelopes will be sent home May 3rd and must be returned by MAY 17, 2017

Our Jump Rope for Heart KICK OFF ASSEMBLY is MAY 3, 2017

Our Jump Rope for Heart EVENT DAY is MAY 19, 2017

Together we can help protect hearts and keep all kids healthy!

DR ROBERTA BONDAR PS (MAPLE)