THE MCKINNON PIPER "A Caring Place To Be" October 2010WOW! Here we are at the very first month of McKinnon P.S. in our fourth year. I am very proud of our hand-picked staff team and I know they are all very excited about the amazing opportunities that lie ahead. Our community newsletter “The McKinnon Piper” will be your connection to your child’s learning, curriculum information and our latest school “happenings”. This title celebrates the life and leadership of our own pioneer leader Malcolm McKinnon and hopefully, helps all of us to keep the positive spirit of our opening day alive throughout the entire school year. As we work with our community to have each child reach their personal best, our mission statement will guide our thoughts and actions:

Our mission is to create a caring and inclusive learning community that facilitates and inspires student successes and values the diversity of our learners. Through collaboration with home and school, we nurture our

children's personal, academic and physical growth. This will prepare our students to become empathetic, responsible and active participants in the

global community.

This fourth school year together has had a successful and exciting beginning. The teaching staff, Mrs. Padua, our Vice-Principal, Mrs. Litster and Mrs. Ams, our Office Administrators, Mr. Fobert our Head Custodian and I are anticipating a busy and rewarding year ahead for the McKinnon “family"....a very special and historic year as we build on our traditions while looking to the future.

A special welcome is extended to all families new to our school community! Please make a point of introducing yourself to us if you are a new parent in our community. We welcome you to McKinnon P.S. and we hope you are feeling comfortable and relaxed at your school.

We look forward to working with all of you and your children because a strong partnership between home and school is one of the most important factors in ensuring our children’s success in school.

A special invitation is extended to join our School Council and become a parent volunteer. Do plan to find out more about how you can become involved in your school!

We appreciate, too, the efforts of our dedicated custodial and teaching staff who worked throughout the summer preparing the school and classrooms and we know you’ll agree that everything is sparkling bright and inviting for the start of our school year!

Thursday, September 30th will be our Meet the Teacher Open House. It will provide a wonderful opportunity to meet your child's teacher and have your child "show-off" his/her classroom and "beginning-of-the-year" activities. I am particularly proud of our staff for their efforts in making their classroom true showcases for learning. They are an awesome bunch! This year, the McKinnon learning journey will be an exciting and enjoyable one. It will be one where both staff and students with the support of our community will discover ways to improve themselves through a positive work ethic and a love of learning. I take pride in the outstanding staff we have assembled and the collaborative manner that we will work with our School Council and community in the best interests of the children that we share. Together we are already making a difference!

Opportunities to learn, to share and to laugh will occur daily at McKinnon. The positive feedback from parents and students, all suggest that we are already on the right track. We have not lost sight, nor will we, that children are the central focus of our education system. However, there is always room for improvement and we will make every attempt to continue to move forward in the months and years ahead.

As always, we’re here if you need us and we look forward to seeing you in the months ahead.

Mr. N. Black Mrs. A. PaduaPrincipal Vice-Principal

EQAO RESULTS – WE’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK …

Our results from our 2009-2010 Grade 3 assessment are listed below. Keep in mind this is only a snap shot of your child’s progress at a particular time. We will use these results, as well as other assessment information to create a plan to support your child’s learning. Individual results will be sent home next week. How can your support your child with this assessment- read, read, and read some more! Read fiction, non-fiction, web-site articles, comics, menus, chapter books, graphic novels, shopping lists, road signs, maps, poetry, encyclopaedias, newspapers, and/or instruction manual – fill your child’s world with literacy and make it fun! Together, you are building sound symbol relationships, letter identification, sight vocabulary, inference skills, and most importantly, a love of literacy!

WRITING MATH READING

SCHOOL 81% 85% 76%PEEL 70% 68% 59%

ARE YOU A BUCKET FILLER?If your answer is yes - Congratulations!! This question comes from the picture book titled by this same question. The book’s message is to teach our children (and nearby parents) how to make those around us feel good by doing or saying positive things. These acts of kindness makes the receiver of the message

and also the person who originated the message feel good about themselves. The book says that we all have buckets and the way we fill our bucket is to do and say positive things to each other. Each teacher has read the book to their class and discussed how it feels to be a “bucket-filler”. Each class now has its own bucket to fill up by cooperating with each other, being polite and helping others solve problems. The buckets are taken throughout the school- in the gym, the library, or the computer lab where students may earn pom-poms to fill it up. Classroom incentives are designed by each class within the school. All our students now have a common language and story to reinforce our caring values to begin the year. It is hoped this activity will get all of us off on the right foot” and lay the foundation for an inviting and caring school climate for all!

THANK-YOU FOR SENDING HOPE TO PAKISTAN

The McKinnon community raised over $1,500.00 in donations to the UNICEF Pakistan Relief fund. This is over one toonie for every student! Thank-you for demonstrating once again that McKinnon P.S. is a truly caring place!

WALK TO SCHOOL PROGRAM UPDATE

Many thanks for all of you for your support in returning our student surveys last week. Members of the Mississauga Traffic Safety Council are now analyzing the results to create a number of quick and safe walking routes to school. The routes will be unveiled to the McKinnon P.S. community on the morning of October 13. Members of the Council will be giving a presentation on the Walk To School Program at our School Council meeting on Monday, October 4 at 7:00 pm in our library. At our Meet-The-Teachers Curriculum Night tomorrow evening, members will be available in the front hall to answer any questions you might

have. Stay tuned for more updates later this month!

OUR CROSSING GUARD IS BACK“ON DUTY”

As many of you already know, our crossing guard Ms. Bania has been “on-duty". To ensure our children's safety, she would like to remind all parents of a few safety rules concerning the cross walk and parking considerations. Please take the time to review these rules with your children: Wait for the crossing guard on the curb Wait for the crossing guard to escort you

across the road even if the cars have stopped at the cross walk

Anyone riding a bicycle, skateboard or scooters will need to walk, not ride, across the road

Do not cross with your children on Tacc Dr. in front of the school as drivers will be concentrating on the cross walk pedestrian traffic, and may not see you in this location.

Attention Drivers!! Drive with caution within the school area

as we have more children and parents walking to school.

Do not park or drop-off your children on, or close to the cross walk. This is illegal and creates an unsafe situation for children and parents. There should be a clear distance of at least 6 meters on each side of the cross walk.

Do not stop on the cross walk. If you are in a line of cars, please wait before crossing the cross walk to ensure children can cross safely.

Drivers stopped at the cross walk cannot proceed until Ms. Bania has returned to the curb and is completely off the road.

The installation of the cross walk and crossing guard may, on occasion, increase traffic congestion as cars will be stopped for periods of time to allow pedestrians to cross Tacc Dr. Please be patient!

Many thanks for your cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the office.

TRAFFIC SAFETYI want to thank all our parents for their patience with our very busy “Kiss ’n Ride” program each morning. To ensure we continue to have a safe and orderly entry into school, please remember the following safety procedures: When entering the “Kiss ‘n Ride” area,

please drive to the front of the school to ensure as many cars as possible can be served in this area.

Do not let your children off in any area except in the “Kiss ’n Ride” area. We have no supervision nor staff available.

Have your children ready to exit the right side of the car. Do not use the left side please!

SCHOOL HOURSJust to let you know, our dismissal time is 3:00 P.M. from Kindergarten to Grade 5. If your are picking up your child(ren), please be on time.

WE WELCOME OUR NEWEST STAFF MEMBERS…

Ms Atkinson joins us from McBride P.S. and is our new kindergarten teacher. She taught kindergarten and Grade 2 for a number of years at McBride P.S. and Huntington Ridge

P.S. We are thrilled to have Ms. Atkinson join the kindergarten team for the remainder of the school year. She is an enthusiastic reader and an avid Toronto Maple Leaf fan!Mrs. Henderson is also a new kindergarten teacher at McKinnon P.S. this year. Mrs. Henderson comes to us from Willow Glen P.S. and Elmcrest P.S. where she taught kindergarten to grade two. She is thrilled to be part of the McKinnon P.S. staff team and is an avid Newcastle United soccer fan! Mr. Shackleton has joined our Grade 1 team this fall. He comes to us from Oscar Peterson P.S. and Sheridan Park P.S. where he taught grades two to seven. He is an artist as well as an excellent guitar player. We are pleased to have Mr. Shackleton’s positive spirit and artistic talents as part of the McKinnon P.S. team this year.

CARING IN THE CLASSROOMMcKinnon P.S. is a caring place to be. We care about each other, as well as our school, community, and our environment. Our learning community is built around the following values:

C CooperationA AttitudeR RespectI Include everyoneN Never Give UpG Get Involved

Our children will strive to learn more about these values through their dynamic and motivating classroom program. Our staff will also model these values by: building positive and esteeming

relationships with all students, working collaboratively with their

colleagues developing a welcoming school climate

and open communication for all. To support our students to learn more about our caring values, a pro-active social skills program has been developed by our staff. Each month has a special theme and set of values that will be taught and reinforced through a series of picture books, poems, short stories and follow-up classroom discussions. A specific time period after lunch every day has been designated for this purpose. In each newsletter this year, we will outline each theme, set of values and “difference makers” that will be introduced

to your child. Our monthly assemblies will also reinforce these values through a special student recognition ceremony. We hope this will reinforce the caring and respectful attitudes and behaviours that we highly value at McKinnon P.S.

Our theme for October is “Sharing our Lives”. For this theme, students are able to see "sharing life" from a spectrum of people and experiences. This way, the curriculum can be seen as a bridge which links their home experiences to their school experience and enables students of a variety of backgrounds to feel valued within the curriculum. The values are: respect for self and others listening to others sharing with othersThe “difference-makers” sentence stems based on their class discussions are: I listen to others. I am thankful for my family and friends. My wish for the world is…We hope these lessons will generate lots of family discussion and will support positive attitudes and behaviours both in school and at home.

FORMS TO BE RETURNEDThank you, in advance, for being so prompt about returning all the necessary forms. Please help us by watching for and returning:

Walking excursion consent form in your child's agenda

the student information computer update form (one per child) – which is being sent home in October.

These consent forms, in particular, are of great importance as they all relate to your child(ren)’s safety and security!

INSURANCE COVERING LOSS OF PERSONAL ITEMS

Please note that the Peel District School Board does not carry insurance covering student loss of personal items. Students are responsible for their personal items and we recommend that very expensive or easily damaged items NOT be sent to school.

MARK YOUR CALENDARSPROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAYS

Again this year, teachers will be participating in professional development activities to learn about new ways of meeting the diverse learning need of your (and our) children. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Monday, November 26, 2010 Friday, January 14, 2011

THE STUDENT AGENDA FEEEvery student in grades one to five received a student agenda and parent handbook during the first week of school. This book will be used daily by students to:

Record assignments, homework and tests dates

Record special days, excursions dates, etc.

Examine personal study habits and set goals

Share notes with parents and obtain parent signatures when necessary

Obtain permission for walking trips, lunchroom access, etc.

Again this year, your Parent Handbook is contained inside your child's Student Agenda. The first 8 pages contains lots of useful information about McKinnon P.S. and the Peel District School Board. Please take a look and stay informed!! As always, we welcome your feedback on these or any other aspects of our school program. Should you have any concerns or you have any questions, please contact Mr. Black during school hours. CALLING ALL NEW SCHOOL COUNCIL

MEMBERS 2010-2011We welcome all parents to consider joining our Council this year. Our first meeting will be October 4th at 7:00 P.M. Please refer to the attached flyer!

LUNCHROOM SUPERVISORS

If you are interested in a supply supervisor position for September 2010, please contact Mrs. Padua, Vice-Principal. The working hours are 11:25 P.M. to 12:25 P.M. daily, at a rate of $11.87 per hour.

TERRY FOX WALK

To coordinate our own commemorative event with the many other Terry Fox celebrations throughout the world, we welcome you to our walk on October 1st in the morning. The McIndy 500 tricycle race will take place immediately after the walk and feature Mr. "White Knight" Hanna, Mr. "Suril the Thrill" Shah, Mrs. "Wild Card" Wyers, Mrs. “Wrong Way” Wilms, Mrs. “Granny Gear” Gritter and the mysterious “Black Flash". Parents are welcome to enjoy the fun and help support this important cause!

U.N.I.C.E.F.- SHOWING WE CARE

To support our caring values, McKinnon P.S. will again participate in the U.N.I.C.E.F. campaign this year. A student presentation will be part of our recognition assembly this month. Further information will be provided in a separate flyer later this month. Please encourage your child to show they can make a difference in communities around the world.

ELECTRONIC GAMES, CELL PHONES, SKATEBOARDS, UMBRELLAS AND

OTHER RELATED ITEMSAs a reminder, these popular items are to remain at home. In the past, recess play and related activity time with these items resulted in ever increasing conflicts and injuries and so these items are no longer welcomed at school. Any such items “discovered” in class by staff will “reside” in a secure location until dismissal time and if the same student’s item(s) is/are “discovered” again, it/they will only be returned to a parent. As always, we count on your support for this necessary policy to ensure positive co-operative recesses for everyone and to minimize classroom distractions which interfere with teaching/learning time!

ATTENTION NEW VOLUNTEERSAs indicated in the Safe School Policy of the Peel Board, parent volunteers new to McKinnon P.S. will require a Criminal Check. Forms and an interview by Mr. Black. Forms are available in the main office.

A MCKINNON SALUTE TO….Mr. Fobert and his team for their exemplary work over the summer months. Our school is "sparkling" thanks to his "super human" effort!

ATTENTION PARENTS OF SENIOR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

If you are interested in French Immersion for your child, and information session is being held at Oscar Peterson P.S. on Thursday, November 18th from 7:00 – 8:00 P.M. The new deadline for Grade 1 French Immersion registration is January 28, 2011.

If you have any questions, please contact Oscar Peterson P.S.

TEACHERS-TO-BE LEARNING AT MCKINNON

Again this year, McKinnon P.S. has been chosen as a teaching site for the York University Faculty of Education. Throughout the fall and winter, we are providing practice teaching experiences for 3 student candidates. We welcome :

Ms. Persad in Mrs. Dinelle's class Ms. Dimech in Mrs. Magnus' class Ms. DeSousa in Mrs. Hobbs' class Ms. Gordon in Mr. Hanna's class Ms. Marmelo in Mr. Morrison's class

MCKINNON IS AN ECO SOURCEGREEN SCHOOL!

At McKinnon we care about each other, we care about school community and our environment. It was with the support of our special community that McKinnon became an Eco Source Green School last year. The Eco Source Elementary Green School Program works with elementary schools in Mississauga over the course of one year to green the school culture from the inside out...and the outside in! We do this through interactive educational action challenges. Sounds like a mouthful, but it is very simple and fun! Together with students, staff and parents we work on illustrating not only what sort of environmentally responsible behaviour we need in our world, but also why we need it and how to model it. At the end of the year students have very clear and tangible results of their environmental efforts, and are able to articulate how they achieved their goals and spread the message on how easy it is for us all to tread lighter on our planet!

The goal of the second year in the program is to reduce the schools waste production by using a whole school approach. Classroom composting and litter less lunches will be school initiatives this year. Waste is the first issue we tackled in the Green Schools Program because not only is it one that students interact with directly through habits and consumer choices, but also because students can see instantly how their efforts play a positive role in protecting our environment. The program is interactive,

engaging and involves all stakeholders in a school community. We are very excited to work with McKinnon P.S. this year and are ready for a year of fun, a year of thought and a year of action. Come join us!

For more information please contact Soni Craikat905-274-6222-scraik@ecosource.ca.

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Celebrate World Teacher Appreciation Day

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The first World Teachers' Day took place on Oct. 5, 1994. Developed by the United Nations, the day is intended to commemorate the work of teachers and their contributions to society. During the week of October 5, take the time to let your child's teacher know he or she is truly appreciated. Thank your child's teacher and let them know they are making a difference. You will be among parents and students from around the world observing World Teacher Appreciation Day.

Oct. 20 opportunity to say 'thanks' to bus drivers

Peel District School Board schools will pay tribute to bus drivers on Bus Driver Appreciation Day, Oct. 20. The day will be celebrated with special activities and events that provide teachers, students and parents with an opportunity to thank the people who safely transport 36,000 students to and from school each day.

If your child rides the bus to school, take this opportunity to thank the bus driver for his or her contribution and ask your child to do so too. The Peel board appreciates the important job bus drivers do each school day and Oct. 20 provides an opportunity to give these individuals the recognition they deserve.

October is International Walk to School Month!

Our school is participating in International Walk to School Day on Wed. Oct. 6. On this day, walk,

bike, blade, scooter, skip or hop to school… but don't drive!

International Walk to School month is part of Green Communities Canada's Active & Safe Routes to School program. Visit www.saferoutestoschool.ca for more information.

Terry Fox's story teaches your child courage, empathy

Terry Fox made history when he began his Marathon of Hope in 1980. He planned to run across Canada to raise money and awareness for cancer research and he was doing it with one artificial leg.

Fox lost his leg to cancer and used his story to inspire others. Fox made it more than 5,000 km across the east coast, Quebec and Ontario before the cancer spread to his lungs, preventing him from continuing. On June 28, 1981 Fox died at the age of 22.

On Sept. 13, 1981, the first Terry Fox Run took place at 760 sites across Canada with approximately 300,000 people participating. The first run raised $3.5 million. To date, the Terry Fox run has raised more than $400 million for cancer research.

Our school will be participating in the Terry Fox run on Friday, October 1, 2010 For more information about Terry Fox or to find out about community events, go to www.terryfox.org.

Register for French immersion by Jan. 28

Are you thinking of registering your child for French immersion? For the 2011-12 school year, parents must now register children for entry into grade 1 French immersion or grade 7 extended French by 4 p.m. on Friday, January 28, 2011. Students who register after the deadline will be placed on a waiting list, should space be available.

The new registration date will help determine the number of grade 1 and grade 7 classes at each school for the following September. The board can then hire in advance the appropriate number of qualified staff. As well, because the registration date happens earlier, the intention is that no new French immersion classes will be created at reorganization time in September, so the level of student disruption will be reduced.

Register your child at the French immersion school your child would attend. The immersion school for our area is Oscar Peterson P. S.. The phone number is 905.569.6261.

If you are interested in French immersion, a brochure called "Is French immersion right for my child?" is available at all schools or on the Peel board website. For a complete list and maps of French immersion schools, go to www.peelschools.org and click on "French immersion" in the "Schools" section. You can also visit the website of Canadian Parents for French (Ontario) at www.cpfont.on.ca.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR OCTOBER 2010 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Meet the TeacherOpen House

Gr. 1 to 5 7:00 – 8:00Kdg. A.M.6:30 - 7:15 P.M. 7:15 - 8:00

1 DAY 3FOX WALK AND

MCINDY 500VIP Passes on sale

PARENTS WELCOME4 DAY 47:00 P.M.SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETINGIn the Library

5 DAY 5Teacher’s Appreciation Day

PHOTO DAY

BRING YOUR SMILE

6 DAY 1PIZZA LUNCH

7 DAY 2Smoothie Day

Check out the flyer coming soon!

8 DAY 3

11 THANKSGIVING

DAY

12 DAY 4 13 DAY 5PIZZA LUNCH

Walk To School8:00 a.m. Kick Off

14 DAY 1 15 DAY 2OCTOBER 17TH

DIWALIBEST WISHES TO

OUR CELEBRATING FAMILIES

18 DAY 3OCTOBER 18TH

HINDUISMNEW YEAR

BEST WISHES TO OUR CELEBRATING

FAMILIES

19 DAY 4Student Information

Forms sent home today

20 DAY 5BUS DRIVER

APPRECIATION DAY

PIZZA LUNCH

21 DAY 1

PARENTS WELCOMESTUDENT RECOGNITION

ASSEMBLY 8:45 a.m.

22 DAY 2Student Information

Forms due date

25 DAY 3WINIFRED THE WITCH

VISITS MCKINNON THIS WEEK

POLLING STATION IN THE GYM

26 DAY 4 27 DAY 5Newsletter sent home

PIZZA LUNCHPhoto Re-take Day

School Council Information evening 7:00 at H.J.A. Brown Centre

28 DAY 1 29 DAY 2HALLOWE'EN HAPPENINGS

UPCOMING EVENTS:NOVEMBER 11TH – REMEMBRANCE DAY ASSEMBLY – 10:30 A.M. Grades 1 to 5

NOVEMBER 11 - GRADE 4 COMMUNITY REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONY 7:00 P.M.NOVEMBER 18TH - GRADES 1 TO 5 – TERM 1 REPORT CARDS AND INTERVIEW CONFIRMATION FORMS SENT HOME

CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES FOR OCTOBER 2010 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

DAY 2 1 DAY 3All 4/5 Indoor Soccer Forms due today to

Mrs. Van

4 DAY 4Gr. 1 to 3 Choir at lunch

5 DAY 5Cross Country

Running 8:00 a.m.

6 DAY 1Gr. 1 to 3 Choir at lunch

Gr. 5 Claymation training

Gr. 4/5 indoor soccer

7 DAY 2Cross Country

Running 8:00 a.m.Gr. 5 Claymation

trainingAll 2/3 indoor soccer

forms due today

8 DAY 3

11

THANKSGIVINGDAY

12 DAY 4GRADE 2/3

INDOOR SOCCERCross Country

Running 8:00 a.m.

13 DAY 5GRADE 4/5

INDOOR SOCCERGr. 1 to 3 Choir at lunch

Gr. 5 Claymation training

14 DAY 1Cross Country

Running 8:00 a.m.Gr. 5 Claymation

training2/3 indoor soccer

15 DAY 2

18 DAY 3GRADE 4/5

INDOOR SOCCER

Gr. 1 to 3 Choirat lunch

19 DAY 4GRADE 2/3

INDOOR SOCCER

Cross Country Running 8:00 a.m.

20 DAY 5

Gr. 1 to 3 Choir at lunch

21 DAY 1Cross Country

Running 8:00 a.m.Gr. 5 Claymation

training2/3 indoor soccer

22 DAY 2