Scott Central

represents the values

and expectations of the

community. We

promote and encourage

academic excellence

within a caring and

responsible school

environment. We are

truly “Together in

Education” with our

parents and students.

Principal : J. McLeod

Vice Principal: A. Lloyd

Head Secretary: K. Weir

Superintendent: A. Laginski

(905) 666-6905

Administrative Officer: G. Island

(905) 666-6399

Trustee: E. Hansen

(905) 852-4262

Scott Central

Public School 421 Regional Road 11

Sandford, ON, L0C 1E0

Tel: 905-852-9751

Fax: 905-852-2032

www.ddsb.ca/school/scottcentral

@ScottCentralPS

Principal’s Message

Happy New Year and welcome to 2016! We hope you had a wonderful break with your family and were able to do fun things together.

Making a new year resolution can be a great way to discuss your child's learning goals with them. We are constantly challenging our students to wonder about things, inquire and seek answers to questions they have. We encourage them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers.

As our Gr. 6/7 class demonstrated at the Claremont Field Centre, the winter is a great time to create and explore outside. Please remember that students need to be dressed for outdoor play, (hat, mitts, scarf, winter coat, snow pants, boots), as we will be going out for recess on all days where it is safe to do so. It is also wise to pack a spare pair of mitts and socks in the event that those being worn get wet in the snow.

While on the topic of winter weather, all bus cancellations will be communicated through the DSTS website, (http://www.dsts.on.ca), where families can also register to receive electronic notifications about cancellations or delays. All school bus stops within the DDSB are divided into Inclement Weather Zones for the purpose of cancellations. At Scott Central we fall into Zone 2.

See you soon, in the meantime stay warm! - J. McLeod

Welcome!

At the end of November, Mrs. Diamond’s household grew by one as they welcomed “Joyce” into their family. Here at Scott Central, we are pleased to welcome Ms. Bruno on a more permanent basis to teach our Gr. 4/5 class until the end of the school year.

In December we learned that Mrs. Laidlaw would be retiring at the end of the calendar year. We wish her all the best in this exciting next phase of her life. We are pleased to welcome Ms. Yarrow to Scott Central where she will be teaching our Gr. 5-8 Science through until the end of the year.

Please join us in welcoming these two additions to our Scott Central family!

Be Prepared for Colder Weather

Children will enjoy winter recess more—and get more

exercise—if they are warm enough.

A hat (warm, close-fitting and covering ear lobes)

Mittens (gloves do not keep hands warm as effectively as mittens)

Loose layers (an absorbent synthetic fabric next to skin, warmer middle lay-er, and a water resistant/repellant outer layer)

Socks— a single pair of socks, either wool or a wool blend is better than cot-ton. Avoid extra thick socks as they can cause cold feet by restricting blood flow and

air circulation around the toes.

Boots—be sure boots are dry and not too tight.

Ja

nu

ary

20

16

Bus Cancellation Days

With Winter here, parents are reminded that if busses are cancelled in the morning, the afternoon transportation will not operate. Students who are dropped off by their parents in the morning will have to be picked up by their parents at dismissal time.

PLEASE NOTE: The Durham Student Transportation Servcies (DSTS) has changed its zoning boundaries this year for bus cancellations. Scott Central P.S. is in ZONE #2 (Uxbridge Area). Please see www.dsts.on.ca for more information.

Safe Arrival

Each day following announcements, our teachers complete attendance for their classes. It is important that

should your child be late for class that they be signed in through the office and obtain a slip.

On occasions where your child will be absent from school, please ensure that you have called the school Safe Arrival Line, (905-852-9751), and left a message in which you spell your child’s name, and give their teacher’s name, as well as the dates/duration of their absence.

Connect With @ScottCentralPS

A strong connection between home and school is important. At Scott Central, we are looking to leverage technology to support this ongoing communication.

Many staff make use of various communication apps such as Class Dojo or Remind to facilitate communication with families in their class.

In addition to this, be sure to follow our “ScottCentralPS”, (no spaces) Twitter feed in order to receive updates throughout the school day and reminders about various school events.

Families are also able to subscribe to our school calendar, (by clicking on the “subscribe” link atop the calendar) in order to add school events to their personal digital calendars.

Calm, Alert and Ready to Learn:

Self-Regulation Information for Parents

The Ministry of Education and the Durham District School Board are

committed to Achieving Excellence in Student Success and Well-being. Self-

Regulation includes awareness of what stresses us, how it impacts us and the

ability to develop ways to manage it to be calm, alert, and willing to learn.

Dr. Stuart Shanker states, “Self-regulation refers to the energy expended

when we respond to stress, and then recover,” and can be viewed through

the Five Domains: Biological, Emotional, Cognitive, Social and Prosocial. For

more in-depth knowledge and strategies, please go to http://www.ddsb.ca/

Students/SafeSchools/Pages/Healthy-Choices.aspx and click on the self-regulation hand graphic.

Food @ School

We have many students with life threatening food allergies at Scott Central. We also have many students who have a variety of dietary restrictions.

Our students are very good about not bringing in food items containing Peanuts/Treenuts. We are working to train students not to share/trade food items while at school.

We ask that families refrain from sending in food items to be shared with friends and classmates, (birthday cupcakes, etc.) as this presents a very serious safety risk for some of our students.

We thank you for your support in keeping our children safe at school.

Playground Maintenance

Regular grooming of the playground in the Junior yard is scheduled for the 2nd and 15th of each month. This includes raking the gravel and a quick check of the general play area to ensure cleanliness and safety!

Volunteers are always welcome to help. Many hands make light work!

If you should notice any issues with the equipment as well, please reach out to us with your concerns and we will help in any way we can!

We welcome all Scott Central community

members to our meetings. Our Next SCC

Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January

19th at 6:30pm.

Please reach out to your SCC members with

questions, concerns or comments.

Thank you for your support!

Dodgeball Intramurals

The Junior and Intermediates have just started their Dodgeball Intramural Tournament. Pool play will take place on Tuesday's and Thursday's at lunch for Intermediates and Monday and Wednesday at lunch for Juniors.

At the completion of pool play, teams will be ranked based on points accumulated and then a double elimination playoff format will take place to determine our Champs and Runner ups for each division. These 4 teams will go on to complete in the DEAA Dodgeball Championships on January 19th (Intermediate) and January 26th (Junior).

Good Luck!!!

Junior / Intermediate Visual Arts Club

Visual Arts Club begins this week and will be held on Thursdays from 2:35—4:00 pm for the next six weeks. Parents will have to make arrangements for pickup from school at 4:00pm.

Badminton Club

Scott Central Badminton club will begin at lunch on Friday's. Students are encouraged to come out play King and Queen of the court in preparation for our badminton team tryouts which will commence in the middle of February.

Dates of Significance:

January is Tamil Heritage Month

On June 12, 2012, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario had its first reading of Bill 111, an Act to proclaim the month

of January Tamil Heritage Month. People of Tamil heritage have migrated to Ontario since the 1940s. Tamil Cana-

dians have overcome obstacles while making significant contributions to Ontario’s social, economic, political and cul-

tural tapestry. Tamil Heritage Month presents an opportunity to reinforce the important history and contributions of

Canadians of Tamil heritage. The month of January was chosen because the first month of the Tamil calendar –

Thai begins in January. This month is also significant as Tamil Canadians recognize many cultural and artistic ob-

servances including the Tamil Harvest Festival – Thai Pongal.

January 7 – Christmas (Christianity, Eastern Rite)

Some Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on this day. The holiday begins with the sighting of the first

star on the horizon on January 6th. Many Eastern Orthodox Christians have 40 days of partial fasting (not eating

any meat or dairy products) before Christmas to help remind them of the hardships that Mary and Joseph endured,

and in memory of Mary and Joseph's journey, some put a lighted candle in the window to guide travelers. On

Christmas Eve, the special Ukrainian "holy supper" consists of 12 meatless and milk-less dishes.

Mark Your Calendar!

Jan 6-8 : Grade 6 Claremont Trip

Jan 12: Ski Club

Jan 12 : Big Sisters Presentation to Grade 8 Girls

Jan 19 : SCC Meeting 6:30 pm —all are welcome!

Jan 19: Ski Club

Jan 22 : PA Day

Jan 26 : Ski Club

Feb 10 & 11 : Grade 8 Special Education Reviews with Uxbridge Secondary School will occur at

Scott Central—Review invites will be sent home later this month

Early to bed, ready to learn

Share this interesting fact with your youngster: While she’s asleep, her brain is busy organizing and storing information she has learned.

Use these guidelines to help her get a good night’s sleep and improve learning and memory:

Elementary school students need 9-11 hours of sleep, (experts recommend a range because some kids require more sleep than others). If your child has a hard time waking up or feels drowsy in school, move to an earlier bedtime.

The light from a computer (or any screen) can prevent your youngster from winding down. Have her turn off anything with a screen at least an hour before bed.

January 15 – Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and political activist who is arguably the most famous

leader of the American Civil Rights Movement. King was named Man of the Year by Time Magazine in 1963, and won

the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964—then the youngest man ever to have received the award. He turned over the Nobel

Prize money to further the Civil Rights Movement. King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he

had planned to lead a march in sympathy with striking garbage workers. It was only 9 years later, in 1977, when he

was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter. In the United States, Mar-

tin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday of January each year. The struggle to have this day recog-

nized as a federal holiday involved Stevie Wonder’s song “Happy Birthday,” and a petition with 6 million signatures—

the largest petition in US history. The day was observed first in 1986, and was finally observed in all states in 2000.

For his promotion of non-violence and racial equality, King is considered a peacemaker and martyr by many people

around the world.

January 18, - Martin Luther King Day

The idea of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a holiday was promoted by labor unions in contract negotiations. After

King's death, U.S. Representative John Conyers and U.S. Senator Edward Brooke introduced a bill in Congress to

make King's birthday a national holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979.

However, it fell five votes short of the number needed for passage. Two of the main arguments mentioned by oppo-

nents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive, and that a holiday to honor a private

citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition (King had never held public office). Only two other figures have

national holidays in the U.S. honoring them: George Washington and Christopher Columbus.

January 19 – Timkat (Ethiopian Orthodox Christian)

Timkat is the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of Epiphany: the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. During this cele-

bration, there is a ritual reenactment of the baptism and a procession with the Tabot, a model of the Ark of the Cove-

nant. The clergy often dress in bright robes, carrying colorful umbrellas, and sing and dance as they escort the Tabot

back to the church.

January 27 – International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust (UN)

On November 1, 2005, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously to designate January 27 the

"International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust." This day coincides with the day in

1945 when the Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated. The UN resolution also

rejected any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part, and member states are urged to

teach the lessons of the Holocaust to help prevent future genocide. This day has been observed since 2001 as Holo-

caust Memorial Day in many European countries. Observed within the State of Israel, and Jews world-wide; Yom

HaShoah vea hagvora, the "Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and the courage of the Jewish people," on the

27th day of the month Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, which usually falls in April.

January 18, 2016 Martin Luther King Day

On the third Monday of January, we commemorate the life of the civil rights leader who paved

the way for equality. Slavery in Canada was abolished in 1834, however well up until the

1950s, there was segregation in schools, theaters and entire towns reserved for Whites only.

"The Little Black School House", a documentary produced by Sylvia Hamilton, unearthed the

fact that the last segregated school in Ontario was up and running until 1964, and more shock-

ingly, that the last one in Nova Scotia closed its doors in 1983.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of powerful words and peaceful action, and he undoubtedly

inspired the lobbying of African-Canadians in 1965, which resulted in the closing of the segre-

gated school in Merlin, Ontario. He alerted the world to the unfair treatment of African-

Americans, since the movement's protests, boycotts, speeches etc. received unprecedented

media coverage.

January 21 Lincoln Alexander Day Ontario MPPs have officially declared January 21 to be Lincoln Alexander Day. Lincoln Alexander was a leading figure in the fight for racial equity in Canada. In provincial, federal, public and pri-vate roles, he consistently advocated for the equal treatment of black Canadians. In the Air Force Lincoln Alexander served as a wireless operator in the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. While stationed in Vancouver, Alexander was refused service because of his race. When he report-ed the incident to a superior officer, and the officer refused to take action, Alexander quit the Air Force, leaving in 1945 with an honourable discharge. In 1985, on the advice of Prime Minister Bri-an Mulroney, Governor General Jeanne Sauvé appointed Alexander as Lieutenant Governor of On-tario. He became the first black person to serve in a vice regal position in Canada. In 2000, Alex-ander was named Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, where he remained an active spokesperson for race relations and veterans' issues. Mr. Alexander passed away on October 19, 2012. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/it-s-official-jan-21-is-lincoln-alexander-day-

1.2443584

Lincoln Alexander Day Act

http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/L-8.5/page-1.html