UPCOMING EVENTS

Lake Simcoe Public

School Weekly W E E K O F O C T O B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8 Lake Simcoe

Public School

38 Thornlodge Dr.

Keswick, ON, L4P 3A6

P: 905-656-5970

F: 905-659-5978 www.yrdsb.ca/

schools/

lakesimcoe.ps

Principal:

Paul Woods

Vice Principal:

Debra Camden

Superintendent:

Drew McNaughton

905-895-5155

Trustee:

Cynthia Cordova

HELPFUL LINKS

From CBC of Apps for Kids to Teach Self-Regulation and

Mindfulness

14 & Muslim Documentary (CBC)

Teaching Tolerance (Acceptance) Resources for

Parents and Guardians:

A Parent Primer for Bullying

Beyond The Golden Rule - A Parents’ Guide to Preventing

and Responding to Prejudice

What Does A Principal Consider Before Suspension?

(p3) of the Suspension and Expulsion: What Parents

Need To Know (Ministry of Education)

Origins of Hallowe’en—The History Channel Video

Mon, Oct 29 Final prize will be drawn for the

Chocolate Bar/Farm Fundraiser

Tues, Oct 30

Wed, Oct 31 Hallowe’en ~ Please see the memo

below for info on celebrations

Thurs, Nov 1

Fri, Nov 2 Picture Retake Day

Character Trait

for the Month:

Responsibility

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an

opportunity. ~Khalil Gibran

Messages...

HALLOWE’EN CELEBRATIONS

On October 31st there will be some Hallowe’en related activities; however, the

focus of the day remains on instruction and any Halloween related activities

are optional. We also want to share that there is no expectation for students to

bring a costume that day nor do we not want families to feel pressured to

spend money on costumes. Students celebrating this occasion in costume at

our school must comply with the Safe School’s and Equity and Inclusivity Policies:

Safe Schools Policy includes:

Costume accessories including, but not limited to, toy guns, knives, axes, swords, etc. are

not in compliance with York Region District School Board’s Caring and Safe Schools

Policy. Should your child bring a costume to school on October 31st we would ask that

no replica weapons (ex. Swords, guns) be brought to school if they are part of the

costume. We also ask that students not wear masks to ensure they can see clearly.

Equity and Inclusivity Policy includes:

Costumes should be respectful of others. For example, if something is representative of a

person’s culture or religious beliefs, then it should not be worn as another person’s

costume. This is cultural appropriation.

Healthy Schools Policy:

We also ask that no food be sent into the school from families (ex. cupcakes for a class-

room to celebrate the day).

Many of our students will enjoy treats over the next few weeks. As always, we wish to

promote healthy eating at our school, and discourage students from bringing candies

that are in abundance around Halloween to school. Many candies and treats,

especially the small chocolate bars that the children receive during Trick or Treating

contain peanuts and other nuts. These are great to enjoy at home. Given the variety of

allergies we have throughout our building, we would ask all families to continue to be

vigilant when selecting which snacks to bring to school. It is also important that students

don’t trade snacks with each other.

ISLAMIC HERITAGE MONTH—OCTOBER

Each month, there are multiple heritages to celebrate and identities to support through various

provincial and regional initiatives. While we cannot do them all, it is important to support the

students and families who are most marginalized in our region at this time. As a school staff, we

are co-learning about our Muslim students and families within the YRDSB as they have been

one of the most marginalized and oppressed identities in our region. Last year, our school

district conducted community consultations in the following areas: Classism, Anti-Black Racism,

Islamophobia and Antisemitism. The Islamophobia consultations indicated that we need to

deepen our learning about our Muslim students and families. This month, we have a book

display outside our library, we have some articles and photos to share outside our office, we

are conducting daily announcements to increase awareness and understanding and, lastly,

we have a documentary that will be shown to our Grade Seven and Eight students from the

National Council of Canadian Muslims entitled: 14 years old and Muslim. Together, we can

make a difference in the lives of all learners in our school and communities.

AREA CROSS-COUNTRY

On Thursday, October 11th, the cross-country team travelled to the ROC for the Area Cross-

Country Meet. The team personified sportsmanship and perseverance throughout the day.

After coming out to practices during their lunch hour for the past several weeks, these athletes

were ready to shine! Ms. Potvin and Ms. Lilly were very proud of every single runner who trained

and competed at the meet.

We had some amazing finishes. The following runners qualified as individuals to attend the

regional meet on Tuesday, October 16th. This means they were in the top 15 runners for their

age group.

Cayden S. - 1st for Junior Boys

Taya T. - 1st for Intermediate Girls

Ryan P. - 5th for Junior Boys

Angelina B. - 10th for Senior Girls

Miya M. - 11th for Senior Girls

Keon H. - 15th for Atom Boys

In addition, the top 5 runners for two of our teams qualified for the Regional meet! The Junior

Boys team came 1st overall and the Intermediate Girls team came 3rd overall.

Congratulations again to every single North Star runner! Your toughness and never quit attitude

represent the stuff of which Lake Simcoe athletes are made!

Ms. Lilly and Ms. Potvin were proud to be your coaches!

STUDENT COUNCIL:

Our grade six, seven and eight students are preparing their “Expression of Interest” paragraphs

to apply for Class Representative on our Student Council. We also have the following

Executive positions:

President

Vice-President

Social Activities Chair

Communications Chair

This leadership opportunity is supported by Ms. Sharon Draper (CYW) and Mr. Paul Woods (P).

GOOD NEWS!

Over the last two weeks, our junior and intermediate students have engaged in a

Staff & Student 3 Pitch Baseball Game on Friday at lunch. The students chal-

lenged the staff in a fun-filled manner. We will most definitely revisit these types of

outdoor activities again in the spring!

Lake Simcoe PS is becoming more involved with Edsby! Please ensure you are signed up to

take advantage of the benefits of this amazing program! (Reporting absences/lates, Parent/

Teacher Night Scheduling, reminders etc.) If you have not received an

invitation by email to join, please email lake.simcoe.ps@yrdsb.ca and ask

to be invited!

Walk Only Wednesdays:

For the next several weeks, we will engage in the iWalk Program Walk Only Wednesday program.

This program is offered in partnership with the Safe Routes To School (Public Health). Please find the

attached walking map provided by our SchoolBusCity.com “Safe Routes To School to assist you in

ensuring that students have a safe and supported walking route. The blue and green lines identify

safe routes We find that older siblings, peers, neighbours, parents and grandparents are great

supports in supervising primary aged peers. Thank you for participating in the W.O.W. program! Stu-

dent incentives will be shared with those who engage in this programming. PLEASE see attached

flyer for more information.