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SELF-REGULATION This message comes from a Globe and Mail Article by Wency Leung and from Dr. Stuart Shanker’s book, SELF-REG, How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life. Your child is defiant and driving you up the wall. What should you do? You may have heard that children and teens can’t help it when they are defiant or are throwing a tantrum. Chances are they are tired, hungry, scared, frustrated or just overwhelmed. When a child is stressed, the front part of the brain that we use to think about our actions goes offline. During stress behaviour, the child is

not choosing to do the behavior, they may not even be conscious of what they are doing! Now misbehavior is when the child is fully aware of what s/he are doing and that they know they should not be doing it. It means they have the capacity to know what they are doing is wrong. With stress behavior, they don’t have that same capacity. One stressor that is well documented is video games, especially violent games. We might think, well my kid is not going to turn into the character in the game, and perhaps that’s true. But the game itself triggers the limbic alarm, which raises your heart rate and raises your blood pressure. Now when turns the game off and goes to bed, the limbic alarm does not turn off. It stays on, and although a child may be sleeping, his/her heart rate is racing, breathing is very fast and he’s still burning energy, instead of restoring energy through sleep. This is an example of a hidden stressor. Shanker believes there is a five-step method for self-reg: (1) Recognizing when a child is overstressed. (2) Identifying the stressor. (3) Reducing the stressor. (4) Helping them become aware of when the child needs to do this for themselves. (5) Helping the child to develop self-reg strategies. Self-reg starts with how well we can identify and reduce our own stressors and then how we can remain calm when we are interacting with a child. Think about times when we are stressed about one thing and then our child misbehaves. If we are stressed, we will interact one way and if we are calm, we will interact another. Shanker makes a distinction between self-control and self-reg. “Self-control is about inhibiting impulses; self-reg is about identifying the causes and reducing the intensity of impulses, and when necessary, having the energy to resist.” So self-reg makes self-control possible, or in some cases, impossible. Self-reg sees problematic behavior as signs that might point to a child that is stressed. Kids that are “lazy” could just be tired or hungry. His book is divided into 3 parts: (1) Self-Reg: Essential for Living and Learning (2) The Five Domains and (3) Teens, Temptations, and Parents Under Pressure. Some of what we do in school is based on Shanker’s research. Some of his research might speak volumes to you as an adult in your daily interactions at work, with your friends and with your own family members. It might give insight into understanding your children’s behavior and how best to react and support them. In the end, I’m sharing these thoughts to help all of us to try to look a little deeper to understand and manage the stressors in our lives which in turn could help us to support/improve the behavior of our children and of course our own behaviour too!

May 2017

eNEWS

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eNEWS Page 2

SCHOOL FAMILY BBQ BAKE SALE - JUNE 8TH

ARE YOU MOVING? To assist us with planning our classes for next year, it is very helpful if we receive information about anticipated family moves. Please call the school office and leave a message or send a note in with your child to the office. Thank you.

GRADE 8 GRAD Date: June 26th Location: Portage View Gym Students Arrive: 6:00 pm Ceremony Begins: 6:30 pm Dance Ends: 9:30 pm

skills. There are two groups that meet once a week for ten weeks. They talk numbers, solve problems and play games that help understand numbers in many different ways.

A small group of students have been invited and are working as part of an After School Numeracy Group with Mrs. Rankka. This program is available at many schools in SCDSB to support students who have been identified as needing a bit more confidence in their number sense

AFTER SCHOOL NUMERACY GROUP

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” - Confucius

Our Developmental Skills class would like to thank those parents and families who supported their Bradford Greenhouse fundraiser. The flowers were beautiful and have brought Spring to Portage View

SPRING BLOOMS

the school pre-packaged in a suitable size to be sold for $1 / package. Baked goods can be dropped off at the school office on June 7th. Thank you in advance for helping to make the bake sale a success! If you are available to help at the bake sale table, please contact Sarah at pvpsbakesale@gmail.com

We are asking parents to contribute their homemade baked goods for the “Loonie Bake Sale” at our Community BBQ on June 8th. Your contribution to this bake sale will directly benefit the school. Please consider donating a (nut free) batch of cookies, Rice Krispie squares, brownies, cupcakes, etc. It would be very helpful if the items could come to

Volunteers needed to cook at our school family barbeque on June 8th. If available, email: pvpsbbqvolunteers@gmail.com

Watch for the Family BBQ Food Pre-Order Form to come home at a later date.

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KINDERGARDEN REGISTRATION

ATTENTION ECO HEROES!

Look for your child to bring home your very own Energy Piglet. Instructions on how to use your Piglet have been sent to you via email so that your family can have some fun while being Eco Friendly. Thank you to those that donated their toilet paper rolls to the cause. If you need another copy of the instructions, please contact Ms. Moreau and the Eco Team at your school.

Do you or someone you know have a child who was born in 2013? If so, it’s

almost time to register them for kindergarten for the 2017-2018 school year.

Required registration documents include birthdate documentation, proof of

address and record of immunization. For more information, visit

www.scdsb.on.ca/kindergarten.

Registration packages are available at the school office for pick-up. The

registration forms can be returned to the school office during regular office

hours (8:00am to 4:00pm). No appointment is necessary. Families of

kindergarten students new to Canada within the last four years are invited

to contact our “Newcomer Welcome Centre” at 705-725-8360, ext. 310.

NEEMA CHILDREN’S CHOIR PERFORMANCE

The Ugandan Neema Children’s Choir will be performing at Portage View Wednesday, May 10th at 6:30 pm in our gym for our school community. This is a wonderful opportunity to witness traditional Ugandan dancing and drumming and to support the orphanage where these children find a safe and supportive environment in which to live and prosper. Admittance to this event is based on your kind monetary donations. Handmade jewellery will be available for purchase, ranging in price from $2.00 to $20.00.

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S.C.D.S.B. NEWS programs for children (aged JK to 12 years) in select schools across Simcoe County this summer. Registration in advance is required. Please contact the child care operator directly to register. A fee subsidy may be available to families who qualify. For more information, please contact Upper Canada directly at 705-241-9801. For the full listing of childcare centres in the SCDSB, visit www.scdsb.on.ca and click on ‘Schools’ and then ‘Before & After School Care.’ Shine green for Mental Health Week The Canadian Mental Health Association invites us to wear green during Mental Health Week (May 1-7). Be sure to share online with the hashtag #GETLOUD. Going green for mental health is a simple way for all of us to recognize that we must make mental health a priority. Visit www.greenformentalhealth.ca for more information. Let’s walk/roll/bike to and from school! Research tells us that children want to walk and bike to school! Children know that using active transportation to and from school is part of a healthy lifestyle, it’s good for the environment and it makes them feel happier. A recent Ontario study indicated that a whopping 42% of children are driven to school, and 93% percent of children and youth are not meeting Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. Did you know that distances up to 5km are travelled more quickly door-to-door by bicycle than by car? Active school travel is the use of any form of travel that is self-propelled for the trip to and from school. Active & Safe Routes to School mobilizes children with initiatives such as Walking/Cycling School Buses, Walking/Wheeling on Wednesdays or Walk/Wheel Once a Week, and walking buddies. Using active transportation for the school journey is one of the easiest ways for students to get regular daily physical activity. Learn more at www.saferoutestoschool.ca/. Now that the weather is warming up, including active transport to and from school in your day is easier! Stay safe in the sun It only takes one bad sunburn in childhood to increase the risk of developing skin cancer later in life. As the weather gets warmer, follow these sun safety tips to keep you and your family safe:

use a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher and SPF 15 lip balm

Bring the world to your front door! Would you like to become a host family for an international student? Learn more about another culture? Share yours? Make a new friend? Short-term, a semester or 10 months…it’s up to you and your family. Hosts get 24/7 support and a generous allowance to offset expenses. For more information, visit whyihost.ca/simcoe, call 705-481-7571 ext. 2072 or email simcoeinfo@canadahomestaynetwork.ca. Are you looking for work? The Simcoe County District School Board’s Career Centre is ready to help at no cost to you. The Career Centre has experienced, professional employment consultants available to help job searchers prepare for and find work. Visit the Career Centre for resources, including the use of computers, internet, printer, fax, information sessions, job board and online postings. No appointment necessary and the Centre is open Monday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information on the services available, visit barriecareercentre.com or call 705-725-8990. This Employment Ontario service is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. Register now for summer school A new selection of summer school credit courses is available this July through in-person classes and eLearning. New this year are full credit grade 9 and 10 courses at Bear Creek Secondary School in Barrie. The in-person courses at Bear Creek will run July 4 to 28 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Limited school bus transportation is provided from all areas of Simcoe County. Details can be found on the Learning Centres website: www.thelearningcentres.com. Students can also get information from the school or from any of the SCDSB’s Learning Centres. Online registration for current SCDSB students is available through the student portal. eLearning registration is supported through high school Guidance Offices. Non-SCDSB students can register using the forms on the website. Summer childcare available at select SCDSB schools In partnership with community child care operators, we are pleased to support your child care needs, offering full-day child care

apply sunscreen 20-30 minutes before going outside (even on cloudy days) and always follow the label instructions

apply sunscreen to any exposed areas of skin – nose, ears, back of neck, tops of feet, etc.

reapply sunscreen every 2-3 hours and after sweating or swimming

wear loose, long sleeved shirts and pants, a large-brimmed hat and sunglasses

if possible, avoid being in the sun between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

when you’re outside, look for shade Information provided by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit Immunization reminder By law, all students need to have an up-to-date immunization record on file at the health unit. Since starting Kindergarten, your child may have received new immunizations. A reminder – you must send your child’s updated immunization records to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit for:

Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio, and Pertussis

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella

Two-doses of a Chickenpox (Varicella) containing vaccine

If your child will not be getting these vaccines, you will need to give the health unit a valid exemption (medical or affidavit). If the health unit does not have an updated record, students could be temporarily suspended from school. Follow these steps to help us:

Check your child’s yellow immunization card

Contact your health care provider to obtain records, or to get missing vaccinations

Share the complete record with us at www.smdhu.org/immsonline or fax the record to the health unit at 705-726-3962

Questions? Contact Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or toll-free at 1-877-721-7520. Information provided by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit www.ymcasummercamp.ca.

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SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD MEET - MAY 18 - GRADES 4-8

PVPS DENS AND MINI-PACKS students sit with other Panthers who are in their same den and pack. This year Mr. Prouty has encouraged our panthers to “get pizzazzie”. It is so much fun to see our Panthers in their den colours! Following our assemblies, the students meet in their smaller groups (referred to as packs) with other panthers from their same den colour. There are 26 packs at Portage View, each with a teacher facilitator and students from junior kindergarten to grade eight. Each meeting has a focus and activity that the group works together to complete. In March and April the Eco team has been organizing our pack activities. We have been focusing on being eco-friendly and caring for our earth.

Dens and packs are an exciting part of Portage View and were initiated by a group of our students a couple of years ago. Each student at Portage View is assigned a den colour based on their last name. Each den is divided into smaller groups called packs. The goal of this initiative is to create smaller, mixed grade communities within our school. Our older students have really become involved and taken on leadership roles within their packs. Our panthers attend monthly assemblies in the gym to celebrate the many accomplishments and events that have taken place during the month. “PAWS to Celebrate” awards are presented to a number of students from each class for academic achievement, learning skills, and demonstrating good character. In the gym,

This year, thanks to some amazing community partners, our award winners are also presented with a small treat. Our most recent partnership has been with McDonald’s. The staff and students would like to thank McDonald’s for their support. Thank you also to the parents who have been able to join us for these monthly celebrations.

Come dressed for the day including runners, a hat and sunblock. Don’t forget your waterbottle!

Raindate — May 23rd

Gardening season is here. We have received notification that PVPS has been accepted in the Bradford Greenhouses fundraising

program for this year. When shopping at Bradford Greenhouse (Barrie or Bradford) advise the cashier prior to inputting the sale that

you wish PVPS to benefit from the sale. Proceeds from this fundraiser (5% of sales from April 15 through to October) will be issued

as a Bradford Greenhouse gift card. The gift card will be used to beautify the gardens at the front of our school. Please share this

information with your friends and family. Thank you, and happy planting!!

PORTAGE VIEW PUBLIC SCHOOL BRADFORD GREENHOUSE FUNDRAISING

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SCHOOLCASH ONLINE Never miss another hot dog day, a field trip, or fundraising items for purchase. Sign up for SchoolCash online NOW. Parents who sign up will receive a notification when a new item becomes available for purchase. Items are personalized to each student. 40.7% of our families (186 out of 457 students) have signed up for School Cash Online. If you haven’t signed up, go to: https://simcoecounty.schoolcashonline.com OR click Pay Fees on our school website: por.scdsb.on.ca Parent SchoolCash Help Desk 1-866-961-1803

School Council

Our next School Council meeting will take place on Monday, May 1st at 5:00 pm. The minutes from the last meeting are on our school website under the Parent tab or you can click on this link to find out what this small but mighty group are discussing and planning http://bit.ly/2lMUnrV

Neema Children’s Choir

Neema Children’s Choir will be performing for our students on May 9th (grades K-4) and May 10th (grades 5-8) giving the students the opportunity for cultural exchange through song and dance. The choir will also be performing for our school community on May 9th at 6:30 pm in the gym.

Jump Demo Team

Jump Rope for Heart Kick Off — The Jump Demo Team will be presenting to our students in preparation for our Jump Day on June 6th.

Fun Day On May 15th, Portage View Panthers grade 8’s will host the grade 4–7 Panthers and grade 4-7 Hillcrest Tigers French Immersion and Extended French students for a Fun Day! The goal is to bring the two groups together as these Tigers will be part of the Panther Pack next year. The grade 8’s are organizing different games/activities for all the students to participate in! Rain date is May 17th (but it won’t rain).

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“OFF THE SHELF” NEWS

Thank you to the Mediation Centre for inviting us into your business. FNMI This past month Mr. Boulding’s grade 6/7 and Mrs. Filippelli’s grade 7 students began participating in an FNMI Inquiry. They had the privilege of meeting Mr. Ian McCallum who shared information with them about growing up as an aboriginal child as well as some additional information about his traditions and customs. Next, this group of students visited the MacLaren Art Gallery to see paintings and drawings created by Arthur Shilling an Anishinaabe artist from Rama, Ontario. Thank you to Christina for our tour and for sharing information about this exhibit.

(Photo taken by Savannah)

The final part of this inquiry will be the creation of a mural for the front entrance at our school. Tech Talk The grade 3 students have just started a project that will require the use of two apps and to create a short video message about caring for our Earth. The students will be creating props and backgrounds. They will then use Stop Motion animation to create

Teaching and Learning Partners Our grade 5 and 6 students participated in a Creative Circuits e-workshop with a ‘blue coat’ scientist from Science North. The students participated in hands-on experiments and learned about parallel and series circuits. Here is a link to a recount of this learning experience written by Nick, a grade 5 student in Mrs. Rankka’s class http://bit.ly/2ou0PGu Thank you to Nick for sharing your learning. Our grade 4 students also participated in a Science North e-workshop on Sound Absorption. They were presented with a task of using a variety of packaging materials and a cup to create something that would lessen the sound made by an egg timer. They used an app called Decibel 10 to measure and compare the sounds. “Paint the Town Pink” Portage View also participated in an event called “Paint the Town Pink” partnering with a business in downtown Barrie. Mrs. Filippelli’s students created art and messages to decorate the windows of the Mediation Centre on Dunlop Street. Here are a couple of the windows:

their video. Music and text will then be added to create the final product. An example of this work will be included in the June newsletter. Mrs. Filippelli’s grade 7 students have been using the green screen and the “Do Ink” app to videotape our weekly news. The students write the script, conduct ‘live on location’ interviews, report on events happening around our school, film, edit and produce the entire newscast. Thank you to this class for your hard work. CHAPTER’S FUNdraiser A high five and thank you to all of the families who supported our Chapter’s fundraiser. The evening was a success and plans are already underway for next year. Keep your eye out for the NEW books that we were able to purchase that evening as well as some that were donated by our families.

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Page 8 eNEWS

Don’t Miss out on the MeMories

There's no school year like your school year. Your yearbook celebrates a year full of friends, events and shared experiences.

It's a place where your friends can jot down shared memories, too.

Order your 2017 Yearbook today – have memories on hand for a lifetime.

Due date for ordering is May 12th. $20 each

Our school yearbook is full colour, 40 pages, featuring events from the school year including teams, clubs, fun photos, spirit days and classroom pictures/activities. Each classroom has their own designated page in the yearbook. To order yearbook(s), please complete the form below and return by May 12th OR order on SchoolCash online. When completing the order form, please enter information for the student to whom the yearbook(s) should be delivered (such as your oldest child). Return the order form and money to the classroom teacher. Cheques payable to Portage View PS (NSF fee $25).

Detach and return to the school by May 12th.

(One order form per family.)

Student Name: Parent Name:

Teacher: Home Phone:

Number of yearbooks ordered: @ $20 each = $

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PVPS staff have “virtual voice mailboxes”. These virtual mailboxes are not directly connected to a phone, therefore ensuring the phone does not ring in the classroom interrupting class time. Please do not leave urgent time sensitive messages or messages relating to student pick up and or drop off on the voice mailbox. When you call into the school, 705-728-1302, you will get a recording, please follow the instructions. Here are the options offered: Safe Arrival, press 1. Administration staff, press 4. To leave a message for a teacher or educational assistant, press 5 then the voice mail box

number, then #. If you are not sure of the voice mail box number listen for further instructions. To reach the main office press 0.

VOICE MESSAGING TO PORTAGE VIEW STAFF

Name Mail Box Name Mail Box

Ayres, Michelle 58790 Moreau, Roseanne 56582

Barker, Sandy 59107 Morris, Marci 26502

Blanchard, Kevin 58309 Nisbet, Derek 58842

Bothwell, Holly 58369 Prouty, Rob 26503

Boulding, Paul 58791 Rankka, Shannon 56348

Brooks, Karie 59482 Raycraft, Jacquie 26535

Capisciolto, Melissa 58793 Rhodes, Ruth 56258

Connolly, Velma 58794 Rugman, Kim 55335

Cumming, Bryn 59263 Salazar, Kendall 59104

Damignani, Candy 59098 Schweitzer, Ken 55336

Davis, MJ 57468 Spicer, Cheryl 58380

Dimou, Dianne 58797 Sweet, Kathy 55337

Dunn, Jennifer 58798 Szczokin, Paul 58022

Filippelli, Lynne 57792 Thompson, Blaine 55338

Graham, Stephanie 55697 Tiedeman, Chris 55339

Grano, John 58799 Urquhart, Jamie 55340

Giffen, Leah 58061 Valencic, Carrie 55155

Gull, Maurice 58140 Valks, Candace 55345

Hagen, Patty 56967 von Althen, Will 56683

Jones, Jocelyn 59101 Watson, Linda 55348

Kunjah, Sally 58377 Webster, Cathy 55351

Kuzmich, Joanne 58891 Woods, Stacey 56671

Lawrence , Kari 58892 Yee, Stacey 59103

MacGirr, Sarah 58272 Young, Laurie 55364

Mednick, Beth 58893 Zulak, Jessica 59465

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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

After School Math

5:00 pm

2 3

Hep B / HPV-Dose 2

4 5

6

7 8

After School Math

9

Jump Rope for Heart

Kick Off Neema Children’s Choir—6:30 pm-Gym

10

Neema Children’s Choir After School Math

11

Grade 4s to Tiffin (all day)

12

DS Class—Grocery Store Trip

13

14 15

FUN DAY for Hillcrest Tigers + Portage Panthers (grades 4-7) After School Math

16 17 After School Math

18

Hot Dog Forms

Home

School Track &

Field-Grade 4-8

19

20

21 22 23

After School Math

School Track &

Field (raindate)

24 Grade 3

Grade 8 to

Georgian College

After School Math

25 Grade 3

Kdgn Field Trip

26 Grade 3

27

28 29 Grade 6

Hot Dog Orders Due

Grade 7-8

30 Grade 6

Grade 7-8

31 Grade 6

Grade 7-8

TO CELEBRATE

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK: CELEBRATING

WELL BEING IN SCHOOLS: MAY 1-7, 2017

Upcoming June Events:

6—Jump Rope for Heart

7—Air Band Competition

8—Air Band Competition

8—Kindergarten Orientation (5-6:00 pm)

8—School Community BBQ (5-7:00 pm)

9—PA Day (no school)

26—Grade 8 Graduation

28—Reports Home

29—Last Day of School