westdale public schoolwestdale.dsbn.org/documents/westdalenewsletter-december... · 2015-12-02 ·...
TRANSCRIPT
Hello everyone,
Now that we are into December, we are
asking students to kindly bring warmer
coats, boots, etc., as we will endeavour to
go outside for as many breaks as possible.
We have already seen that the temperature
can drop drastically on any given day, so
better to be prepared for whatever comes
our way.
I want to extend a thank you to our won-
derful School Council who once again
purchased a t-shirt for every child and staff member in the school. This year they chose pink
shirts to support the National anti-bullying campaign. The back of the shirts say ―Make a Dif-
ference‖, a wonderful message for us to live by every day. We have also had the Niagara Ice
Dogs come in to do an anti-bullying presentation for our entire school, and we are helping them
promote the message — ―Bullying, Just Stop It!‖.
Finally, this month is sure to bring lots of excitement as we all get caught up in the holiday sea-
son - whether we are observing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Diwali or any other celebra-
tion, it will be a month filled with fun and anticipation. Our Primary (Grades 1 - 3) Holiday
Concert is on Tuesday, December 15th at 2pm, and our Kindergarten Holiday Concert is on
Wednesday, December 16th at 2pm. Please come and join us if you can. Students will finish
school on Friday, December 18th and will return to school on Monday, January 4th.
From our Westdale family to yours, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family
a very safe and happy holiday season!
Mrs. Poppy Gilliam
From the Principal’s
I n s i d e t h i s
i s s u e :
Inclement
Weather
2
Food Drive 2
JK Open
House
4
Secondary
Open Houses
4
Literacy 5
French
Immersion
7
Outdoors 8
Westdale Public
School
D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5 N E W S L E T T E R
Principal:
Mrs. Poppy Gilliam
Vice-Principal
Mr. Jason Clarke
Secretary:
Mrs. Dawn Holderney
If you are a family in need or know a family who could use some extra support this holiday sea-
son, please kindly call Mrs. Gilliam to let her know as we will be distributing the food and toys
that we collect internally to our own Westdale families. Anything extra will be donated to Com-
munity Care. Thank you.
Help this holiday season?
Calendar 9
P a g e 2
Inclement Weather Conditions
W e s t d a l e P u b l i c S c h o o l
December Celebrations
P a g e 3 N E W S L E T T E R
Our School Council will
help us spread some joy in
our classrooms and the
school on Friday, December
4th. Students will be in-
volved in making decora-
tions to celebrate holiday
cheer. Festivities will be
concluded with a cookie and
hot chocolate provided by
School Council.
FOOD & TOY DRIVE JOY DAY
Get ready to ―boogie‖ on
Wednesday, December 9th!
Thanks to School Council for
organizing our annual student
Dance-a-Thon!!! Kids will have
an opportunity to get some great
physical exercise and dance for a
good cause! School Council is
doing the dance-a-thon for kids
to have fun, as a fund raiser, and as a way to collect
canned goods to help families in need this holiday
season. What a great way to teach kids how they
can make a difference and help others!
DANCE-A-THON
Westdale School and our School Council have
been offering a breakfast program 5 days a
week. Foods offered are healthy and include 3
food groups on any given day (e.g., bagels,
fruit, cheese, yogurt, cereal bars, smoothies and
oatmeal). If you are able to help out or have
any questions, please call the office. We are
always looking for volunteers. Your commit-
ment would be from 8:15am until 8:45am.
Please call Mrs. Gilliam if you can help out.
For the month of Decem-
ber, Westdale will be fo-
cusing on the character
trait of ―Caring‖. To help
put this character trait
into action, we will be
collecting food items and
toys for all ages that can
be distributed to families in our community who
need them most. (You will notice our piles of
food growing at the front doors.)
To encourage the giving of food, School Council,
for their annual dance-a-thon, have offered stu-
dents the opportunity to either make a cash dona-
tion or a food donation to get tickets for the
draw. Thank you School Council for your sup-
port in this initiative as well!
Soon the protective surface on the playground will become frozen, and the play structures (e.g.,
slide, climbers) will be closed for the winter to ensure the safety of our students. We will let
you know when it is officially closed. Please note that this closure will also pertain to children
who do not attend Westdale School (e.g., younger siblings).
WINTER PLAYGROUND SAFETY
We are collecting Canadian Tire $ until Monday, De-
cember 14th. All funds collected will help purchase
toys for some of our families in need.
BREAKFAST CLUB
CANADIAN TIRE $
Kindergarten Open House
Secondary Open Houses
A.N. Myer Secondary: Thursday, December 3 - 6:30 p.m.
Beamsville Secondary: Wednesday, December 2- 6:30 p.m.
E.L. Crossley Secondary: Tuesday December 1 - 6:30 p.m.
Eastdale Secondary: Thursday, December 3 – 6:00 p.m.
Eden High: Tuesday, December 1 - 7:00 p.m.
Fort Erie Secondary: Wednesday, December 2 - 6:30 p.m.
Governor Simcoe Secondary: Thursday, December 3 - 6:30 p.m.
Grimsby Secondary: Tuesday, December 1 – 6:30 p.m.
Laura Secord Secondary: Wednesday, December 2 – 6:00 p.m.
Port Colborne High School: Monday, November 30 - 6:00 p.m.
Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School: Wednesday, December 2-5:30 p.m.
St. Catharines Collegiate: Wednesday, December 2 – 6:00 p.m.
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary: Thursday, December 3 - 6:00 p.m.
South Lincoln High School: Thursday, December 3 – 6:30 p.m.
Westdale’s Spotlight on Literacy
P a g e 5 N E W S L E T T E R
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more
that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
- Dr. Seuss
Oral language is the foundation for reading. Listening and speaking are a child’s first
introduction to language. Talking and singing teach your child the sounds of language,
making it easier for him or her to learn how to read. These oral experiences are neces-
sary for reading skills to emerge. Some fun ways to engage your child in oral language
include:
•singing songs •saying nursery rhymes •reciting poetry •playing rhyming games •making up silly riddles •telling funny stories
By engaging in these activities, your child will build an appreciation for words and lan-
guage. This is fundamental for reading and writing to happen.
If your child’s first language is not English, he/she can still become an excellent Eng-
lish reader and writer. You can support your child at home by developing oral lan-
guage skills in his/her first language, as well as by reading with your child in your first
language. In other words, do the same kinds of activities mentioned, but do them in
your child’s first language. These experiences will prove to be invaluable!
http://homeworkhelp.ilc.org
MOVEMBER
A special thanks out there to the men who helped
raise money and awareness this month for Movem-
ber! A very special thank you to Mr. Strickland
who brought in cookies each week to sell to raise
money for the cause, and raised almost $2000! Mrs.
Philip’s class also got into the fun and wore mus-
taches as well and contributed funds to help Mr.
Strickland’s campaign!
Congratulations to Scarlet who
brought in the most Canadian
Tire $, and was able to
―recreate‖
Mr. Nelson’s beard in front of
all the intermediate kids. All of
the Canadian Tire money raised
will go towards purchasing toys
and items for Westdale families
in need this Holiday Season.
If you are a family in need this
holiday season, please give Mrs.
Gilliam a call at the office.
Raising Canadian Tire Money to help Westdale families
FRENCH IMMERSION
French Immersion Registration
The French Immersion program (offered at French Immersion sites) is open to all students in Sen-ior Kindergarten interested in enrolling for the 2016-2017 year. If you want your child to develop a high proficiency and fluency in Canada’s two official languages, French Immersion has a great
deal to offer.
Features of the French Immersion program:
Development of French language skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing from grades
one to twelve;
Designed to be a second language program for children whose first language is NOT French;
Current enrolment of over 2,500 elementary students;
Certificate of French Immersion Studies awarded upon successful completion of the elemen-
tary and secondary Immersion program;
Promoting understanding of different cultures;
Providing additional opportunities for employment using French as the working language;
An increased ability to communicate and interact with confidence in French.
Registration will open January 4th, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. and will close February 16th, 2016 at 9:00 a.m.
For more information about French Immersion in the District School Board of Niagara visit
www.dsbn.org/fi or call Mrs. Gilliam or Mr. Clarke.
Parent Information session for Jeanne Sauvé will be held on Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 6-7 p.m.
Jeanne Sauvé French Immersion Public School
Principal: Mme C. Sitko
Vice-Principal: Mme P. McIntee
91 Bunting Road, St Catharines, L2P 3G8
Walker Living Campus Outdoor Education Centre
Recently the Grades
2, 6 and 7 classes en-
joyed some amazing
adventures at the
Walker Living Cam-
pus Outdoor Educa-
tion Centre. Students
did adventure hikes,
low ropes courses as
well as some geo-
caching. The Centre
looks AMAZING and
we are so lucky to
have been given a
sneak peek before it
officially opens for
elementary students!
UPCOMING DATES:
Friday, December 4th: Joy Day (Thanks to School Council for our hot chocolate and cookies!)
Tuesday December 8th: Grade 1 - 8 trip to see Mary Poppins
Tues., December 8th: Please bring back Dance-a-thon pledge forms with donations ($ or food). Thanks!
Wednesday, December 9th: Dance-a-thon
Tuesday, December 15th: 2pm - Primary (Grades 1– 3) Holiday Concert
Wednesday, December 16th: 2pm - Kindergarten Holiday Concert
Friday, December 18th - 9am: Caring Paws for Applause Assembly and carol sing
- wear your craziest holiday sweater
THANK YOU SCHOOL COUNCIL FOR OUR T-SHIRTS!