September/October 2016 Newsletter

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September/October 2016 Winger School

From the Office of the Principal, Mr. C. McInnis….

I am extremely excited to begin my first year at Winger. I will work hard to ensure your

child(rens) success. Our team at Winger School works very hard to create an environ-

ment that is not only conducive to learning but that is safe and promotes respect for

self and others.

School Rules are:

Keep your hands to yourself,

Keep your feet on the ground, Use nice words to solve your problems.

If that doesn’t work get an adult to help,

and If no adult is available please come to the office and ask for help.

If at anytime throughout the year you have a concern or question about anything, I

would welcome a call or a meeting to discuss your issues. Educating children is a team

effort. As educators we realize that we can teach, encourage, and support your chil-

dren but the strong communication and support from home is necessary to fulfill your

child’s needs.

All students are encouraged to take an active and positive role in their year(s) at

Winger.

Mr. C. McInnis Principal

September/October 2016 Newsletter

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Loading and Unloading Bus Zones

Please do not park at anytime along the front sidewalk. This area is zoned for loading and unloading of the

buses only. Thank you for keeping our parking lot safe.

Emergency Medical Information

Please inform the school of any serious allergies (asthma, bee stings, peanut, nuts, milk and medi-

cations, etc.) or any serious health concerns. The District School Board of Niagara requires that

you complete an “Emergency Action Plan and Physician’s Authorization” in order for medication,

which must be signed by your child’s physician, to be given at school. These forms may be ob-

tained from the office .

Hot Lunch’s at Winger

Pizza days at Winger are Fridays, unless there is a PA Day, and then it will

fall on the Thursday of that week. $1.00 per slice.

Sub Days will be every last Wednesday of the month, First one is Wednes-

day September 28.

Hot Lunch Lady, will be Monday October third, watch for your order forms to come

home.

Breakfast Club

Once again Winger School will offer our students a nutritious breakfast on Tuesdays

and Thursday mornings as they arrive to school. Thank you to Niagara Nutrition Part-

ners for supporting this well appreciated meal for all our students. Thank you also

goes to the many volunteers that help us out every Tuesday and Thursday.

Our cross country team has been getting up early and coming to run every morning since the first week of school.

They have been so dedicated and have been working hard to improve their stamina. These students love to be chal-

lenged, and often push themselves to run even further than what is required! Every one of them has been a true

team player and they encourage each other when it gets tough. Thank you very much to the parents and other fam-

ily members who bring the children to school early so that they can be a part of this team. Our first meet is Thurs-

day September 29, and our second is October 6th. Way to go Winger! This year’s team consists of, Abby Rayn M.,

Abby M., Linnea A., Reed P., Sarah W., Carter N., Garrett K., Cole C., Nathan T., Kaden S., Emerson M., Matteo A.,

Owen M., Mitchell T., Paige P., Deanna R., Gwen C.

Good Luck Team!!

September/October 2016 Newsletter

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From the Teachers at Winger School . . . .

From Mme Jones . . .

The Grade 3 students @ Winger will be studying Early Communities in Canada in Social

Studies this year and Mme Jones would like to create a sustainable garden similar to ones

grown by the Native Peoples. In preparation for this we are looking for help from the Winger

community. We need lots of grass clippings, straw, and leaves in order to prepare a composted

“garden” that will decompose over the winter months. Come the spring we hope to plant seeds

in our garden following the legend of the three sisters. Please contact the school if you are able

to assist us with any of these items. Thank you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

From Mr. Lynett’s Grade 3 Class . . .

The grade 3's have been working very hard over the first month of school. Students complet-

ed the assessments, including spelling inventory, Ontario Writing Assessment, and the high

frequency word lists. Reading assessments are partially complete and we will continue to work

on them in October. Individualized word lists will be sent home if your child needs extra rein-

forcement.

In Reading, students are continuing their learning about how to make meaningful connections

between the different texts they read, and the world around them. We will be focusing on

text to self, text to text and text to world connections. Ideally, Grade 3 students should be

reading every night for 15 minutes. Raz kids should be available to our students in the next

while and is a great way to read levelled books at home. Passwords will be sent home. In writ-

ing, we will be focusing on writing personal narratives. In Media, we will start thinking about

the intended audiences for different media forms. In Math we are completing a unit in pat-

terning. We have learned about repeating, growing and shrinking patterns. We will begin a ge-

ometry unit on 2 and 3-d shapes soon. We are also doing math strings daily to help improve

computational skills as well as working on Dreambox in the computer lab. Dreambox is also

available on-line for use at home. Passwords will be sent home.

Keep checking our Class Dojo for daily updates and pictures.

Mr. Lynett

* * * * * * * * * * * * From Mr. Collins 5/6 Class

The first month has gone pretty smoothly in the Grade 5/6 class, but I’m hoping the cool weather is here to stay. Room 9 can get pretty steamy with 35 bodies when the temperature outside is above 30 degrees!

Just a couple of notes: we have P.E. every other day; please make sure your child comes to school on even-numbered school days with running shoes, a change of shirt, and deodorant. On Fridays, watch for your child’s portfolio (this month, it’s a yellow duo-tang). It shows you what your child is learning, how he/she is doing, and what work needs to be finished. Please sign the first page and send it back early the next week. I’ve noticed several of my students don’t have a ruler, which is a tool we use almost every-day. Next time you’re at the dollar store, please pick one up.

Lastly, I’d like to thank , Mrs. Deana Herrera, Mrs. Lea Anne Robins, and Mrs. Darlene Flagg for helping

me supervise students at the Wainfleet Fall Fair .

September/October 2016 Newsletter

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From the Winger Teachers, cont’ . . .

From Mrs. Robinson’s Grade 7/8 class . . .

English Update

Did you know that over 85% of the reading and writing we do as adults is non-fiction?? This is one of the reasons why students in

grade 7/8 are focusing on strategies to read, write and understand non-fiction. We have examined the main differences between

non-fiction text structures and are currently practicing reading comprehension and note-taking strategies that fit each structure.

We will apply the ‘Sequence’ and ‘Description’ text structures in our Science unit (Cells) to describe how a piece of food travels

through the digestive system and is broken down into its components.

Math Update

Students in Grade 7/8 are currently studying Algebra. We have learned how to build and extend patterns, how graphs can be used

to display information and how to write and extend pattern rules. We have also discussed the real life application of algebraic rules

– If a cheese and sauce pizza costs $10 and each additional topping costs $1.25, how many toppings can you and your friends order

with your pooled money of $20?? Our next unit of study will be Number Sense.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Grade three and four with Mrs. Morgan-Rauh:

Our class has settled nicely into routines and the students are enthusiastic about learning and sharing their ideas.

September has been a busy month of getting to know one another and adjusting to new surroundings. I am impressed

by the positive attitudes and good work ethic these students demonstrate every day.

In Literacy, we have been working hard to complete beginning of the year assessments in order to learn areas of

student strength and prepare next steps. These assessments include a spelling inventory, High Frequency Sight word

recognition, BAS reading assessments, and OWA (Ontario Writing Assessment). I have a starting point for skill develop-

ment in spelling for each child and “Word Work” (otherwise known as spelling) will formally begin Monday October 3rd.

Your child will bring home a word work book and a baggie with cut out words to sort according to vowel and consonant

patterns. This work is due back on Thursdays and there will be a spelling dictation on Fridays. Words will also be glued

into the agendas. Our home reading program launched on September 21st. One book will be sent home each week

and is due back on Wednesday. I am in real need of 5 parent volunteers for 1 hour per week on Wednesday mornings

from 9:30-10:30 to listen to children read you their favourite part of the book and to exchange their books for the

next week. If you can help please let me know in your child’s agenda.

In reading, I am still working on individual reading assessments and these will continue into October. The class is

learning about the characteristics of narrative (story) text, and we have enjoyed a unit on silly stories. In guided read-

ing small groups we have made predicitons, identified text features, and had mini lessons on decoding words and ob-

serving punctuation. The next steps in reading will be focusing on ways to develop stronger understanding of text

(comprehension skills). In grammar work we have started with nouns and will be moving on to verbs next.

In writing, students have written short pieces such as journal entries, an autobiography, acrostic poem and reading

responses. They have just finished the OWA writing assessment. The grade 3 students wrote a narrative (story) about

the day they woke up and were invisible! The grade 4 students wrote a report on what life would be like without elec-

tricity. Each student will receive feedback and next steps for writing. In October we will work on writing more com-

plex sentences and learn to sentences and learn to use a 4 square organizer as a writing tool to write longer pieces

such as a paragraph using transition words like first, next, then, finally.

September/October 2016 Newsletter

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Winger School Awarded a “Happy Birthday Canada” 150th Celebration Garden

Winger Public School is the lucky recipient of one of 150, ‘150th Celebration Gardens’ being distributed across Canada – by the Canadian Garden Council in collaboration with Vesey’s Bulbs of PEI – in celebra-tion of Canada’s sesquicentennial in 2017. The Garden which consist of red and white tulip bulbs, is the international symbol of friendship and an enduring symbol of our national ethos of kindness and hospi-tality. The 150th Celebration Garden is a terrific way to say “Happy Birthday” to Our Home and Native Land. Public planting ceremony to take place “We feel very fortunate,” said Mme Jones, Winger School’s Eco-Team teacher” to have received one of these Gardens as we understand that the Canadian Garden Council, the organization behind the 150th Celebration Garden program, received more than 400 applications. The garden, will be planted on October 26th, which also coincides with Canada’s Take Me Outside Day. Everyone, from seniors to school children and the public, is invited to attend the planting ceremony as our community makes preparations to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday next year. Symbolic link to a Flagship Celebration Garden in Niagara Falls Our garden, and the other 149 gardens planted across the country, will be symbolically linked to a Flag-ship 150th Celebration Garden Promenade, consisting of 25,000 Tulips also donated by Vesey’s, to be planted this fall and bloom next spring adjacent to Niagara Falls, one of the great Natural wonders of the world, and one of Canada’s largest gateways for visitors to our country. It takes a village . . . The Winger Eco-Team would like to all those that made this heartwarming program possible: Canadian Garden Council, Vesey’s Bulbs, Canada Post, Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, Niagara Parks Commission, GardenMaking magazine, Landscape Ontario, Ontario Garden Council, Baxter Travel Media, Enterprise Canada, Gardens BC, Québec Gardens’ Association and VIA Rail Canada. Mme Jones and the Winger Eco-Team

September/October 2016 Newsletter

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IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Friday October 7th—PA Day

Monday October 10— Thanksgiving

Friday November 18—PA Day

December 26-January 6 - Christmas Break

Friday January 20—PA Day

Friday Februay 17—PA Day

February 20 - Family Day

March 13-17 March Break

Friday April 14— Good Friday

Monday April 17 - Easter Monday

Friday May 19—PA Day

Monday May 22— Victoria Day

Friday June 9—PA Day

Thursday June 29—Last Day of Classes

October is International Walk to School Month

Lace up your shoes or snap on those bike helmets for an active trip to school. If you live far from school, park a few blocks away and walk part of the trip. If you ride a bus take part by walking to your bus stop.

Here’s a quick trivia question to have fun with at the dinner table tonight. Walking and wheeling to school can improve:

A) Health

B) Happiness

C) Stress Level

D) Grades

E) Safety

F) All of the above

If you said F, you’re correct! Walking and wheeling to school has many benefits and those are just a few. (Source: activesaferoutes.ca)

Tips to remember when walk or biking:

Look left, right and left again when crossing the street

Never run or dart out into the street or cross between parked cars

Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them and watch out for cars that are turning or backing up

It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible

Cross streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks

Watch out for cars coming out of driveways and alleys

If what you are doing has wheels, protect your brain – always wear a helmet

When riding your bike, ride in the same direction as the cars are driving

Tips from www.parachutecanada.org

Soccer News . . . .

The Junior and Intermediate Coed soccer teams

participated in a tournament on Thursday Septem-

ber 22nd and Friday September 23rd. Both teams

played hard and displayed great sportsmanship during the

tournament. Mrs. Whiteford is very proud of all of the students

who came to all the practices and represented our school so

well. Win or lose, we had a great time!! The Teams consisted

of,

Intermediate Co-ed Soccer Team, Aiden L., Wyatt S., Owen M., Collin

W., Elijah M. Tessa K., Kyla K., Latisha L., Chloe P., Iesha C., Natasha

S., Kyah G., Annika B.

Junior Co-ed Team

Owen M., Mitchell T., Emerson M., Hayden F., Noah K., Jack M.,

Austin O,., Sage F., Sophia S., Paige P., Deanna R., Sierra K.,

Carter N.,

September/October 2016 Newsletter

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Waste Reduction Week in Canada

Oct. 17 - 23, 2016

Winger Students will once again participate in a Waste-free Lunch week starting

October 17 to October 21th with the help of the Eco-Team. Students are encouraged

to bring food items in recyclable containers instead of plastic ones. All garbage

will be returned home so that our community members will be aware of just how

much waste is generated daily in lunches provided for our students. Compostable

food waste will be picked up from each classroom and placed in a green bin by the

front lobby. At the end of the week it will be sent to a compost site.

Plastic Bag Challenge

The Plastic Bag Grab challenge is back again for 2017! Last year, more than 400

schools across Canada participated in the challenge and collected more than 2

million plastic bags, which were recycled into small pellets and used to make a

variety of new products.

Elementary schools from across Canada are challenged to collect as many plastic

bags as they can for recycling during Earth Week (April 16 – 22, 2017). Top

schools in each province and territory that collect the most plastic bags for

recycling are eligible to win cash prizes that can be used for schools’

environmental initiatives!

Wainfleet Fall Parade and Fair

Winger School was well represented in the Wainfleet Fall Fair Parade on Thursday September 22nd,

and then enjoyed the fair the following day as a whole school. A huge thank you goes to the Hessels’

family who donated their dunk tank to raise money for Winger School. Thank you, to the brave vol-

unteers who went in the tank to be dunked, even Mr.McInnis. !! The Dunk Tank donations raised

$313 for Winger School. Thank you so much for everyone who helped out and

who were dunked.