MacLeod’s Musings

December 3, 2013 Volume #8, Issue #4

Brad Derry Principal 905-398-7945 Nadia Russiello Vice Principal 905-398-7945 Gayle Brocklebank-Vincent Superintendent 905-884-4477 Diane Giangrande Trustee 905-770-0826

MacLeod’s Landing P.S.

From the Administrative Team: As we begin to look forward to the holidays in December, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people at MacLeod’s Landing Public School who have helped make this school a great place to learn. On November 13

th, you received your child’s Progress Report. You then

had the opportunity to engage in Student-Led Conferences. Your children are still working toward achieving curriculum expectations that will be measured by the end of Term One. You will receive a Term One Report Card the week of February 10-14. As always, if you have any concerns around your child’s level of academic achievement, please do not hesitate to contact his/her teacher. We are excited that our new addition is just about completed and we are making plans to move into the new rooms over the next few weeks. We are also looking forward to our Holiday Concert on December 12

th. More

information will be sent home soon. At this time of year, we have the privilege of celebrating diversity and recognizing different cultures. In November many families celebrated Diwali, Ashura and the celebration of Chanukah began. In December families will celebrate Christmas and Kwanzaa. As we draw nearer to the Winter Break, on behalf of the MacLeod’s Landing staff, we would like to wish our families the very best of the festive season and express our gratitude for sending your children our way to enjoy each and every day. All the best in 2014!

B. Derry N. Russiello B. Derry N. Russiello Principal Vice-Principal

Too sick to go outdoors?

Then you are too sick to attend school. It is an expectation at MacLeod’s Landing that if your child attends school then they must go outside at the recess breaks. Supervision is not available in classrooms or the office during these times of the day. On severe weather days with extreme wind chill temperatures or a cold weather alert, we use judgment to shorten the length of time spent outdoors.

Dates and Events 1 First Sunday of Advent

(Christianity) 2 King City SS Information

Night (7-8 pm) 2 Poinsettia Orders due 5 School Council Meeting @

7pm 9 King City SS Guidance Visit

(11:30 am) 9 Gr. 4, 5, 6 Caroling Night

(6:45-8 pm) 10 International Human Rights

Day 11 King City SS Jazz Band

(9:30 am) 12 Holiday Concert 13 Maun-agiyaras (Jainism) 17 Last day of the Food Drive 18 FRIDAY Schedule 18 Last Day of our Giving Tree 19 Holiday/Winter Hat Day 19 Character Matters Assembly

(9:15 am) 20 PA Day (No School)

23 - Jan. 3 Winter Break 25 Christmas (Christianity) 26 Kwanzaa (Kwanzaa) 26 Death of Prophet Zarathustra

(Zoroastrianism) JANUARY

1 Happy New Year! 6 First Day Back to School

Parking Lot Reminder

We would like to remind our community that the South parking lot (off of Shirrick Drive) is for parents who are bringing their children to the Child Care and Child Care staff only. MacLeod’s Landing students can be dropped off at the front of the school off of Silver Maple Road, by using our front loop or along Shirrick Drive so they can use the path to walk to the school yard. Thank you for your cooperation!

Lost and Found

Please be sure to pick up any of your child’s

items that are in the Lost and Found.

Items will be on display and any that are not

claimed by the Winter Break will be donated to a

local charity on the last week before the break.

week before the break.

Winter Break Monday, December 23rd to Friday, January 3rd

French Immersion Information

Information sessions for the French Immersion (FI) program will take place at Beynon Fields P.S. on January 16, 2014 at 7 p.m. FI registration will begin January 17, 2014. In order to streamline the registration process, parents or guardians of Senior Kindergarten students entering Grade 1 in 2014, and wishing to enrol in the FI Program, can visit or call the school office and request an Office Index Card - short version. The Office Index Card must be signed by the principal of the home school. Parents or guardians then take this form, along with one piece of identification showing their address to Beynon Fields P.S. to register between January 17 and February 14, 2014. This eliminates the need to provide duplicate enrollment information or to pre-register. YRDSB’s FI Accommodation Plan provides long-term consistency and equity of access to all students in York Region and will enable YRDSB to continue to offer the FI program to all who wish to enroll. The FI program will be offered in Dual Track or Single Track settings, in a variety of configurations. In order to meet community needs and optimize available space in our schools, a community's Grade 1-8 FI program may be provided over more than one school during the course of a student's FI education. This will allow flexibility in addressing community needs and the opportunity to use existing space in schools. More information is available on the Board’s website: www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca. Please note: Some of the FI accommodation plans will require facility modifications or the development of new schools and will require short-term transition plans that might include overflow while we work toward the long-term vision. Overflow refers to situations in which the Board directs students to attend a school other than their community school or optional program for a specific period of time, as defined in Policy #108.

Kindergarten Registration

to Commence

January 17, 2014

Kindergarten registration will commence on January 17, 2014 for the 2014-15 school year. Registration forms are available on YRDSB’s website: www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca. Children who turn four or five years old during 2014, live within the school boundary and whose parents are public school tax supporters will be eligible to register for kindergarten. A kindergarten information session for parents is being planned for this spring. For more information please visit the YRDSB website or contact your local school.

Grade 8 Bake Sale

Thank you to everyone who

contributed to the Gr. 8 bake

sale! The students really enjoyed organizing this event

and selling items. We raised over $450 to put

towards graduation and our trip.

The MacLeod’s Landing PS Giving Tree

This year we are continuing our tradition of helping those in need. Each year we are fortunate to help many children in York Region through our Giving Tree. Please send in new mittens, gloves, hats or scarves to add to our tree in the front foyer. We will be collecting these items until Wednesday, December 18th

and they will then be brought to a local charity.

Lates and Absences

On some days we have a significant number of our school population who are late for school. Arriving late to class causes disruption for the child who is late, the children who are learning and the teacher. Frequent lates or absences will result in academic difficulties as children will miss important instruction. Please be sure that children arrive on time and ready to learn!

TRANSPORTATION ELIGIBILITY Did you know that students’ bussing eligibility changes throughout their school career? Your son’s/daughter’s eligibility to ride the school bus may change according to his/her grade and distance from home to school. Below are the provisions for eligibility identified in the Board’s Transportation Policy #680:

All YRDSB students in JK-3 who live within 1.2 km of their school are not eligible for transportation

All YRDSB students in Grades 4-8 who live within 1.6 km of their school are not eligible for transportation

All YRDSB students in Grades 9-12 who live within a transit served area are not eligible for transportation

To view Board Policy #680: Student Transportation, please visit www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca . For more information about bus transportation and to determine your son’s/daughter’s eligibility please visit www.schoolbuscity.com.

Weather Watch

This is a reminder to all parents to ensure that their child is dressed for the great outdoors when he/she

comes to school. Students have a 30 minute outdoor recess in the morning and a 40 minute outdoor

recess after eating their lunch.

Getting some fresh air is important for all students. Students should

be wearing a scarf, hat, gloves or mitts, boots, snow pants and a warm winter jacket. It is important that all students have a pair of

indoor shoes. This will assist our caretakers in maintaining the

cleanliness of our school. As well, if the fire alarm sounds we do not

have time for the children to stop and put on outdoor footwear. We

must evacuate the building immediately and having indoor shoes on

will assist us.

York Regional Elementary Enrichment Band

On February 27, 2014, auditions will be held at John McCrae Public School for students wishing to be part of the York Regional Elementary Enrichment Band. Any experienced Grade 6/7/8 student interested in being included in this music enrichment activity should discuss it with his/her music teacher. More information is available at our website www.yreeb.ca.

.

Inclement Weather

The imminent arrival of winter reminds us of the possibility of snow days. The School Board cancels bus transportation should they believe that it is unsafe to send them out on the roads and if a long wait in the cold could put students at risk. On these days the schools remain open in order for our students to have a safe place to stay during the day. Our teachers who are able to get to school provide programmes for our students, although modified. We do not support students phoning their parents in order to go home once they have arrived. Please be reminded that the schools remain open and your children will be cared for, safe and busy.

A Word from our Students……

Grade 5 Trip to the Richmond Hill Public Library

(Written by a student is Mrs. Dillon’s class)

On Tuesday November 12, the grade 5’s in Mr.

Burton’s class and in Mrs. Dillon’s class went to the

Richmond Hill Public Library. Mr. Duni’s class went

too, but later in the month. We really loved our trip,

because we learned different things on technology

like using an eResource called Middle Search. There

are many great tools that you can use if you have a

library card and login on their website. We thought

the School Project Guides would be very helpful. We

also loved learning about how to find books in the

library and being able to sign some out and take them

back to school.

The ROM Partners in the Wilderness School

Case

(Written by a student in Mrs. Dillon’s class)

In Social Studies, the grade 5’s from Mrs. Dillon’s

and Mr. Burton’s classes are learning about the Fur

Trade. One of the most exciting parts so far is

getting to see real artifacts in a Royal Ontario

Museum (ROM) kit. We all split into groups and

learned about our artifacts, so we could become

experts and share what we learned with the rest

of the class. Some of the artifacts were things

that we could touch, like real Beaver fur and a

canoe repair kit. Some were in glass cases, like an

arrow head and a coin. They were interesting to

look at. It was fun and exciting to have the kit in

our class!

Sports Night

(Written by students in Mrs. Barley’s Grade 8 class)

On Thursday, November 7th the grade eight students held a sports night for grade threes and fours in the

gymnasium. The night was a blast! During the evening, we divided the gym into two; playing soccer on one

side and a game of benchball on the other. Parents and grade eight students were spread out amongst the

kids to help and instruct how to play the games. In the last half-hour, the gym was opened up to play a big

game of dodgeball. Kids and parents all had fun. Proceeds from this event will go towards grade eight

graduation. We can’t wait to do another sports night in the new year!

King City Visit

(Written by students in Mrs. Barley’s Grade 8 class)

On the 6th of November, the grade eights visited King City Secondary School along with three other

schools. During the visit we learned about what electives are going to be offered in grade nine. We even

were shown demonstrations and were given information about five electives; Design Technology,

Information Technology, Drama, Art and Family Studies. Within those demonstrations we were told what

high school is all about and the things we were going to learn. In the Family Studies class we even got to

eat warm, fresh baked cookies – which were delicious! Something that caught our eye was the Drama

Demonstration in which the teacher let us sit on pillows and told us her class was an easy A. The Art

teacher taught us a new concept of art in which we were allowed to be messy and express our emotions by

flicking paint instead of brushing. We even got to bring our group artwork back to school with us. Overall it

was a great trip and it gave us a new perspective on high school.

Student Council Update

Over the past few months, students at MacLeod’s Landing PS have had several

opportunities to join our 2013-2014 Student Council. Initially, grade 7-8 students were

invited to apply for a position as a Student Minister. Our six successful Ministers, then

invited all students in grades 7-8 and teachers recommended students from grade 4-6 to

apply for a position on one of our three teams. The response was fantastic and we are

delighted to have so many enthusiastic and motivated students working with our teacher

mentors this year!

Recently, the Awareness, Implementation and School Issues teams have begun to to

meet and are busy gathering information and planning for events that will take place at

MLPS this year. We will provide updates throughout the year and want to bring the

following to your attention:

1) Humanity First Food Drive:

As the holiday season approaches, we want to ensure that our school

community provides support to those families who are less fortunate.

Please send in donations of non-perishable food items by Tuesday

December 17. Student Council representatives will organize our

donations and ensure that they are picked up and distributed to

families in time for the holidays.

2) Bradford Greenhouse Poinsettia Sales to Support Victims of Typhoon Haiyan

On Nov 8, 2013 Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines killing

more than 5000 people and causing significant destruction. As a

school community, we want to do our part to provide help to

those impacted by this dreadful event. To raise funds, Student

Council will be selling Poinsettia’s between now and Monday

December 2. All proceeds from these sales will be donated to relief

efforts. Please consider purchasing your holiday plants using the order form that

was sent home. All orders will be distributed at the MLPS Holiday Concert on

Dec 12.Thank you!

3) School Spirit Days

We will be having some great School Spirit days again this year!

Starting on Thursday December 19 with our Holiday or Winter Hat

day and then continuing every month until the end of year, School

Spirit days will encourage all staff and students to get involved and

show some MLPS spirit! Members of Student Council will gather

information about the percentage of students who participate in

each class and will award some prizes later in the year!

Learning Commons News

Book Fair

Thank you to our school community for your wonderful support of Scholastic Book Fair. We raised just over $1000 for resources for our school.

MBA

Mavericks Books and Bounce is well under way. Our 25 Grade 7 and 8 boys are learning to read with younger students. Our Grade 1 boys will be invited to read and play basketball with us in January.

FAQ

Students are welcome to sign out books for the winter holidays. All books will be due when we return in January.

Heather Friend

Teacher-Librarian

Page 1 of 1

Monthly Newsletter

Parent Council Bulletin http://www.macleodslanding.ps.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/

A Note from the Chair

Last month the Parent Council organized a Spook-a-Thon

Fund-Raiser event to help raise funds for technology items for

the school. The event was a spectacular success with

participation across all grades. We were able to raise in excess

of $8,500 – an amazing achievement! As a result, the

following much-needed technology items have been

purchased: 11 Dell Laptops, 1 iRover Smartboard and 3

Document Cameras. On behalf of the Council, I’d like to

thank all donors for their pledges. I’d also like to thank all

volunteers who worked countlessly to plan and organize this

event. Both donors and volunteers have made this one of the

most successful fund-raisers in MLPS Council history!

Regards, Yasin Dharamshi, Council Chair

Health and Safety Corner - Holiday Safety Gift Giving

This is a time of year when many friends and families

exchange gifts and celebrate the season. It is a wonderful

idea to consider a safety in your gift purchases. A membership

to CAA is an excellent gift and provides additional peace of

mind for everyone. A first-aid or CPR course can save a life

and is something your family can take together. Swim lessons

are another life-saver and also great for the whole family. For

gifts with little or no cost, consider taking a night-time walk

through the community and the park spaces after a snowfall,

or go for an outdoor skate nearby at Richmond Green or at

Mill Pond (when they are open). The holiday season is about

family and community – stay active, safe and healthy!

Important Announcements

Friday Pizza Lunch

Please note that Friday,

February 7th is the last day for

pizza delivery for those

students’ currently

participating in this program.

A new sign-up form for

February 14th onwards will be

sent home in January.

Movie Night – November 28

A big thank-you to all

participants and especially

the volunteers that help make

Movie Night a great success!

Fun was had by all and we

plan to have a 2nd movie

night in April 2014.

Upcoming School Council

Meetings starting at 7pm

New members always

welcome!

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014

Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014

Thursday, Apr. 17, 2014

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Student Transportation Services of York Region

320 Bloomington Road West

Aurora, Ontario L4G 0M1

905-713-2535

FAX: 905-713-2533

Web site: www.schoolbuscity.com

School Bus Cancellation Notice

To ensure the safety of students, school bus service may be cancelled from time to time due to inclement weather, extreme temperatures and/or poor road conditions. In these cases, parents and students should develop alternate care/transportation arrangements. Since some busing schedules begin by 7:00 a.m., cancellation decisions must be made by 6:00 a.m. to allow time to communicate this message to bus drivers. Cancellation decisions will only be made after thorough consultation with the Safety Officers of school bus companies servicing York Region and are based on several factors including precipitation, air temperature, road conditions and weather forecast. Please note the following;

A decision to cancel school bus service will be region-wide meaning all school buses, vans and taxis will not operate.

School bus routes may be cancelled when severe weather may not be affecting all municipalities in York Region. Both the YRDSB and YCDSB operate many regional educational programs. Students attending these programs are transported over large attendance areas encompassing several municipal boundaries. This limits the ability to cancel bus service using a municipality or zone methodology.

Unless otherwise stated, schools will remain open and parents can make arrangements to transport their children to and from school even if school bus service is cancelled. If buses are cancelled in the morning, they will not operate in the afternoon. Therefore students transported to school by parents will require the same transportation home.

Parents, students and school staff are asked to access the following radio and television stations after 6:00 a.m. to receive bus cancellation information: RADIO 590 AM 640 AM 680 AM 860 AM 1010 AM 1050 AM 1540 AM 1580 AM 88.5 FM 89.9 FM 92.5 FM 93.1 FM 94.9 FM 95.9 FM 97.3 FM 98.1 FM 99.1 FM 99.9 FM 101.1 FM 102.1 FM 104.5 FM 100.7 FM 107.1 FM TELEVISION CITY TV CTV Barrie CFTO TV CP24 GLOBAL NEWS A bus cancellation message will also be available at www.schoolbuscity.com and by calling 1-877-330-3001, or by following the YRDSB on twitter.

Please note that school bus charters will not operate when home to school bus service is cancelled.

Respect Responsibility Courage Empathy Optimism Initiative Honesty Fairness Integrity Perseverance Inclusiveness

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

Poinsettia Orders due

King City SS

Information Night

(7-8 pm in the Library)

3 4 5

School Council Meeting

(7 pm—Library)

6 7

8 9

King City SS Guidance

Visit (11:30 am)

Caroling Night (Gr. 4,

5, 6) 6:45-8:00 pm

10 11

King City SS Jazz Band

(9:30 am)

12

Holiday Concert

- Bazaar

- Pick up Poinsettia

Order

13 14

15 16 17

Last Day of Humanity

First Food Drive

18

Last Day of the MLPS

Giving Tree

FRIDAY

Schedule

19

Holiday/Winter Hat

Day

Character Matters

Assembly (9;15 am)

20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

School begins on

Monday, January

6, 2014.

December 2013

BUS ROUTES HOTLINE

1-877-330-3001

www.schoolbuscity.com

Compassion/Empathy

We strive to sense and appreciate the emotions of others, to "stand in their shoes."

We demonstrate appreciation of and concern for their feelings. We try to understand

issues from their perspectives even though we may not agree with them personally.

Updated: 3-Dec-13

International Human Rights

Day

CHRISTMAS / WINTER BREAK

CHRISTMAS

WINTER BEGINS PA DAY

(No School)

MacLeod's Landing Public School

Tel: (905) 398-7945 Fax: (905) 398-0842

Website: www.macleodslanding.ps.yrdsb.edu.on.ca

eMail: macleod’s.landing.ps@yrdsb.edu.on.ca

FIRST SUNDAY OF

ADVENT

MAUN-AGIYARAS

KWANZAA

DEATH OF PROPHET

ZARATHUSTRA