PLOWMAN’S PARK P.S.

5940 Montevideo Road

Mississauga, ON L5N 3J5

905-821-4973 Attendance: 1-855-209-6155

Plowman’s Park Website: http://schools.peelschools.org/1556

Plowman’s Park YouTube Channel: https://goo.gl/umygLK Plowman’s Park TV Channel: http://plowmansparktv.blogspot.ca Twitter…follow us at: @PlowmansPS2016

At Plowman’s Park, we inspire success and hope

by empowering our community to strive for

personal excellence. #PlowmansEmpowers

October 2018 – RESPECT

Message from Ms. Freemantle

What an amazing September it has been at Plowman’s! We reconnected with students and families and have

participated in many events and activities already. I wanted to thank all families for their patience and

understanding with respect to re-organization and thanks to all staff that made it a smooth transition for all

students.

We exceeded our goal for Terry Fox raising over $2100 through donations and collecting Toonies for Terry and

donations on Terry Fox Hat Day. For two weeks prior to the Terry Fox Walk, student Terry Fox Fitness Break

Leaders led Fitness Breaks in every classroom every morning and on Friday, September 21st we participated in

a whole school Terry Fox Walk.

We have been raising money for books for our Library Learning Commons in partnership with Indigo and have

raised over $1300 to date and are hoping to raise more online at adoptaschool.indigo.ca until October 7th

. Our

September Respect Assembly included a video on Respect made by Mr. Stepien and Ms. Cruz’s Grade 1&2

students as well as an introduction to Orange Shirt Day from Ms. Fioravanti’s class. We ended September with

our first Plowman’s Houses for this school year. We are creating a Plowman’s Community Rock Garden and

during Houses every student had the opportunity to paint their own rock with their name on it. Stay tuned for

our school-wide ceremony of creating the rock garden.

Plowman’s Open House is Wednesday, October 3rd

from 6:30 – 7:30 pm and we are looking forward to seeing

everyone that night to meet teachers, tour the school, visit the Book Fair, and we will be selling vanilla pumpkin

cookies and popcorn for $2 each. Wednesday, October 17th

will be our first ‘Welcome Wednesday’ for this

school year from 9 – 10 am in the Library Learning Commons. Our Fall Food Drive began on Monday,

October 1st and we will collect until Friday, October 12

th and all donations will be made to Eden Food For

Change.

Have a great October and hope to see you at Open House on Wednesday, October 3rd

Please join us on Twitter at @PlowmansPS2016

P.D. Day – Friday, October 5th

, 2018

Thanksgiving – Monday, October 8th

, 2018

Principal: Sabina Freemantle Superintendent: Dr. Gale Solomon-Henry

Mississauga West Field Office

905-366-8800

Office Manager (Acting): Maria Nicholas

Trustee: Nokha Dakroub

Mississauga Wards 9 & 10

647-707-7320

Confidence

Achievement

Respect

Empathy

#PlowmansCaress

Confidence

Achievement

Respect

Empathy

#PlowmansCaress

Plowman’s Park Values

CHARACTER ASSEMBLIES

CARING RESPONSIBLE INCLUSIVE RESPECTFUL HONEST COOPERATIVE This year at Plowman’s Park we are continuing to hold our Monthly Award Assemblies to recognize our

students and also promote Character Education. Our September Monthly Award Assembly was held

on September 28th. Respect was the focus for the month of September and we recognized the

following students:

Noor A., Aaron K., Devansh S., Lochlan T., Gracelynn A., Alexander N., Konstantine D.,

Zaki R., Miah B., Daniel F., Shannon S., Abdirahman M., Azeem A., Abigail A., Dexter W-D.,

Brooklyn S, Ons A., Shane S., Ky’Mani G-R., and Benjamin L-B.

September’s French Awards were awarded to: Aarib B., and Bria B.

Awards were also presented to our Plowman’s Terry Fox Fitness Break Leaders:

Alan, Aisling, Avery, Viha, Disha, Bria, Abigail, Mustafa, Sam, Sadeed, Tyler, Ons, Oriannah, Lamar,

Ryder, Declan, Brooklyn, Isabella, Anu, Penelope, Ciarra, Alexia, Dina, Huda, Ghazal, Areeba, Duha,

Alanna, Naomi, and Colton.

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!

CHARACTER TICKETS We are continuing to present Character Tickets to students at Plowman’s Park. Students can earn

Character Tickets throughout each month from all staff, including Lunchroom Supervisors, for

demonstrating the qualities of the monthly character trait. When a student receives a Character

Ticket, they are placed in the Character Bucket for the monthly draw. Every month two names will be

randomly drawn and they will have a special lunch with Ms. Freemantle in her office Our September

winners were Victoria and Samir.

PLOWMAN’S UPDATED MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES Last year our School Success Committee used input and feedback from

staff, students, and parents to update our Mission Statement, Vision

Statement, and our Values to reflect Plowman’s Park currently and our

dedication and commitment to our students and community. You will see

and hear our new statements and values in our communications, through

our students that have been talking about them in class, and through

school-wide announcements. Some of our students created an incredible video of our Mission, Vision, and

Values which can be viewed on Plowman’s YouTube page at: https://goo.gl/umygLK or by going directly to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG_SrEByNWg&feature=youtu.be

Plowman’s Mission Statement is: At Plowman’s Park, we inspire success

and hope by empowering our community to strive for personal excellence.

#PlowmansEmpowers

Plowman’s Vision Statement is: Through hope, inclusion and nurturing a growth

mindset, we help develop the perseverance, resiliency and collaborative skills our

learning community needs to embrace new challenges.

#PlowmansPositive

PLOWMAN’S PARK FALL FOOD DRIVE – OCTOBER 1st-12th, 2018

We are collecting donations of non-perishable food items for the local food bank, Eden

Food For Change. Please donate if you can. Send food donations to Plowman’s with

your child from October 1st -12th, 2018. Below is a list of the MOST NEEDED items for

the food bank.

If we meet this year’s goal of six boxes of donations then one lucky winner will have the

opportunity to throw a pie in Ms. Freemantle’s face…and if donations exceed that amount there may be

more opportunities for more students to be involved in the pie throwing!

Food Donations will also be collected during Open House on

Wednesday October 3rd from 6:30- 7:30 pm.

OPEN HOUSE Plowman’s Park Open House is on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Come and see

your child’s classroom, meet their teacher, explore the school, and see the Book Fair and the newly

renovated Library Learning Commons.

Also, we are having our Fall Food Drive and will be collecting donations on Open House Night – please

consider donating to Eden Food for Change.

We are looking forward to seeing all

Plowman’s Park Families on Open House Night.

TWITTER Join us and FOLLOW US on Twitter @PlowmansPS2016 to get updates and see pictures

of the great activities happening at Plowman’s Park as well as to find out about upcoming

events. Also, you can find many of our staff on Twitter and what they are doing in their

classrooms through @PlowmansPS2016.

SCHOOL COUNCIL Can you believe it’s October and our children have been back to school for a month?! The fall leaves are

beginning to change colours and sweater weather has finally arrived.

Canned fruit

Tooth paste Pet Food Dry Soup Beans

Bulk Oatmeal

Pasta Sauce Crackers (snacks) Lentils

Laundry

Soap/Detergent

Baby Formula Gluten free products Canned Meat (Tuna,

Salmon)

Cereal

Shampoo Cake Mixes Infant cereal (Pablum)

Juice Body wash Infant cookies

(Arrowroot)

Diapers (sizes 4, 5, 6)

Indigo’s ONLINE Adopt-A-School Program

at Plowman’s Park Plowman’s Park continues to participate until October 7th in Indigo’s Adopt-A-School Program.

Only donations made to Plowman’s Park ONLINE at adoptaschool.indigo.ca will be directed to

Plowman’s – not donations made in-store. There are three ways that our community can support Plowman’s Park online at adoptaschool.indigo.ca:

1. Book Bonus: For every two books you donate to our school online, the Love of Reading Foundation will donate a bonus book, up to 100 books!

2. Tell a Story, Give a Story: Every time you post a story to our Adopt a School profile, the Love of Reading Foundation will donate one book in support of our school library, up to 20 books!

3. Adopt a School Story Contest: “Heart” your favourite story to help a school for a chance to win big! The five most-loved stories in each province will be entered in a random draw for a chance to win a $2,500 Indigo eGiftcard to purchase books for their adopted school. The remaining four top “hearted” schools in each province will win a $500 Indigo eGiftcard to purchase books! Choose wisely because you only get one shot to “Heart” a story!

Please note that 100% of all online donations directed to our school will go towards supporting our students and Plowman’s Library Learning Commons! However, our school has not been adopted by an Indigo, Chapters or Coles store this year, so donations made in-store will not go to our school.

Our school is going to receive every dollar raised online to support our library and a 30% discount off books when we shop at Indigo, Chapters and Coles using program donations. We have already raised over $1300 in donations!

Please consider donating to support our Plowman’s Park Library Learning Commons.

Please note that our FIRST School Council meeting at Plowman’s Park is Tuesday, October 16th,

2018 at 6:30 p.m. in the Library Learning Commons.

School Council is made up of a group of parents, staff and community members focused on promoting

student achievement and enhancing their learning environment. By working with Ms. Freemantle and the

School Board council members we can make a difference in our school’s success.

We are pleased to announce that all six of our nominees for parent representatives on the School Council

will be acclaimed, therefore, we will not be holding an election. Congratulations to Karen Bailey-Lewis,

Christy Rich, Tiffany Doering, Alyson Scott, Muskan Bhatia and Maha Shebbani.

School Council meetings are open to all parents and guardians wishing to participate and provide input

into our school’s success. We encourage and welcome you to attend. Hope to see you there!

PLOWMAN’S PARK PANDACAST, PLOWMAN’S PARK YouTube CHANNEL

and PLOWMAN’S PARK TV!!!

Plowman’s October “PandaCast” is now available on our Plowman’s YouTube page

at: https://goo.gl/umygLK. While you’re there, click on “Subscribe” so you’ll always

get our latest episodes! The broadcast features videos of various events happening at

Plowman’s, important dates to remember, Math Talk provocations and a monthly school-wide S.T.E.M.

challenge! You can also access the PandaCast by visiting our school website at:

http://schools.peelschools.org/1556/Pages/default.aspx

PLOWMAN’S PARK TV is LIVE!! Plowman’s Park TV station maintained by our students and it focuses

on all the awesome things they do! To tune in, visit http://plowmansparktv.blogspot.ca

EXCITING NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY LEARNING COMMONS The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Plowman’s Park! We invite you to come out and

celebrate the love of reading with us. The Book Fair will be open October 1st-4th from

9:05 am to 12:00 pm and during afternoon recess. Students will be able to visit with

their classes and make purchases. The Book Fair will also be open during the

evening of Open House (October 3rd), from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. We accept cash

and cheques made payable to Plowman’s Park Public School as well as Visa,

MasterCard and American Express. Please keep in mind that for every $10 you

spend at the Book Fair, up to $6 goes back to our school so that we can

purchase books and educational resources for our students. We look forward to seeing you there!

Follow the activities that are happening in the Library Learning Commons on Twitter: @PlowmansLLC

BREAKFAST CLUB Breakfast Club is underway at Plowman’s Park. This year we are continuing with our

successful snack bin program. Every classroom is provided with a bin which contains

healthy snacks (e.g. apple sauce, fruit cups, crackers) for students in need.

We are also continuing to host a Grab N’ Go Breakfast Program every morning. The

students are invited to come and choose a healthy breakfast to take back to their room to

eat. Menu items include cereal, fruit, crackers, cheese, yogurt, mini bagels, and pitas.

Thank you to those parent volunteers who are providing assistance to the children as they choose

healthy food items to start their day.

PLOWMAN’S PARK RECOGNIZES ORANGE SHIRT DAY ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4TH

First launched in 2013 in Williams Lake, Orange Shirt Day began when six-year-old Phyllis Webstad, a

Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, was forced to give her new orange shirt taken on the first day of

school at the St. Joseph Mission resident school in Williams Lake, British Columbia.

Orange Shirt Day commemorates the history and the legacy of residential

schools, and the strength and fortitude of residential school survivors and

their descendants.

Although Orange Shirt Day is on Sunday, September 30th, 2018, our school

will commemorate the day on Thursday, October 4th. Students are

encouraged to wear orange shirts at schools in recognition of the day. For

more information, visit www.orangeshirtday.org

Here is a list of events happening at Plowman’s Park Public School:

● Fri. Sept. 28th - Orange Shirt Day Introduction at Respect Assembly

● Thurs. Oct. 4th - Individual Classroom Activities

● Thurs. Oct. 4th – School-wide participation by wearing an orange shirt

● Thurs. Oct. 4th – School-wide picture to symbolize our support for survivors and families

● Thurs. Oct. 4th – Geronimo’s Dream Residential School Presentation for Grades 3-6

EVERY CHILD MATTERS

#PLOWMANSPROUD MOMENTS #PlowmansProud Moments continue as I look out for students and

staff that are doing amazing acts of kindness or have

demonstrated incredible character or leadership.

These #PlowmansProud Moments are posted on Twitter and I

announce to the school who the student(s)/staff are and what I

caught them doing. In September,

Lincoln brought in homegrown cherry tomatoes for the fruit bowl

in my office for students to enjoy, Declan helped and encouraged

a younger student on the Terry Fox Walk during the heat, Jacob

helped a student going back to class when he needed assistance,

and when the Bucket Filling bulletin board fell down in the front

foyer one night I walked into the school in the morning to find many staff put it all back together again –

all Plowman’s Proud Moments!

NEWS FROM MS. MCNEIL IN THE MUSIC ROOM September was a great month of creating and collaborating in the music room!

Junior choir for Grades 3,4,5, and 6 is starting on October 1st. We will rehearse

once a week. Planning ahead? Our winter concert for Grades 1-6 will be on

Thursday, December 6th at 7pm. It will surely be a fun musical night where our

pandas will shine like the super stars that they are.

NEWS FROM MRS. PIECH IN THE GYM Follow me on my Twitter account “Plowmans Gets Active” to keep up to date

with all of the events going on in the gym.

The goal of the Physical Education program is for the students to experience

the joy of movement, maintain and improve their physical fitness, and to understand and

make healthy choices. We are busy in the gym being active and getting fit. The first few

weeks of Phys. Ed. class were spent participating in fitness activities and low

organizational games. Students have been developing leadership and communication skills

through a variety of games.

In Phys. Ed. class, the kindergarten and grade 1's are working on locomotor skills like

running, jumping, etc., and equipment skills using balls, beanbags and hoops. During

October, grades 1's and 2's will begin catching and throwing balls at a target. Grade 3 and

4 students are currently engaged in our unit on floor hockey. Finally, the grade 5 and 6

students are focusing on developing an understanding of flag football and Territory

games. At the completion of these units we will begin our first Health Unit on Personal

Safety and Injury Prevention.

During lunch our grade 3-6 students had an opportunity to join the Hockey League. This

extra practice helps to reinforce their developing hockey skills. Grade 3 and 4 students

play at lunch (12:30-1:00) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Grades 5 and 6 students play on

Mondays and Wednesdays.

Soccer Team Opportunity! Grade 5 and 6 students will have an opportunity to try out for a

one day tournament hosted by Plum Tree Park on October 23rd (held at Edenwood P.S.).

The Grade 2 students will have an opportunity to try out for a one day tournament hosted

at Plum Tree on October 19th. Both teams will be co-ed and require students to try out.

Announcements will be made to notify students of try out dates.

Students in Grades 3-6 are reminded that they require clean indoor running shoes, and

comfortable clothing they can move freely in such as shorts and a T-shirt. Kindergarten

and grade one and two students only require clean indoor running shoes. Please no crocs or

flip flops for your child’s safety.

How you play shows some of your character…how you win or lose shows all of it.

PLOWMAN’S HOUSES Plowman’s Houses are back! On Friday, September 28th, students gathered

in their Houses in the gym and cheered for each House as they were

announced. Students are divided up, from Kindergarten to Grade 6, into

sixteen Canadian animal teams that participate regularly together in

cooperative activities to continue to build positive climate and community

within our school, develop leadership skills, and for students to have FUN! Each House is

led by a teacher, giving students and teachers opportunities to build new relationships.

Friday’s Houses included team-building and reacquainting activities where all students

painted a rock with their name on it as well as a rock for each House, which will create our

Plowman’s Community Rock Garden.

These are our Houses: Beavers, Caribou, Lynxes, Beluga Whales, Atlantic Puffins, Polar

Bears, Loons, Arctic Wolves, Canadian Geese, Snowy Owls, Red Foxes, Prairie Dogs, Grizzly

Bears, Blue Jays, Coyotes, and Badgers. Ask your child what animal they are in our

Plowman’s Houses. We are looking forward to our students participating with their House

throughout the year.

ECO SCHOOL

This year Plowman’s has registered to become an Eco School! This means that we are

doing our part to ensure that we are reducing, reusing, recycling correctly as well as

implementing strategies to save energy (and money!) such as turning off lights, computer

monitors, opening drapes to let light in, closing drapes to keep heat in, etc.

We have created an EcoTeam including students and teachers in the school and it would be

wonderful to have members of our community participate in our efforts as well. Our team

will meet once per month from 12:30-1:00 pm. Please let the school or your child's teacher

or Ms. Brown or Ms. Heino know if you will be joining us in this exciting new opportunity to

help 'green' our school and community.

CAN TABS FOR WHEELCHAIRS Please continue to bring can tabs (pop, cat food, olives, vegetables, any other cans)

into Plowman’s and pour them in to our can tab can at the table outside of the

office. Ms. Heino’s Grade 4 class will be collecting them to contribute to buying a

wheelchair. Thanks again for all your efforts at recycling and helping to purchase a

wheelchair. If you want to look more closely at the program, you can visit this

website http://poptabsforwheelchairs.ca/ It would be terrific if our Plowman’s

Park Community could collect enough tabs to buy a wheelchair.

PIZZA LUNCH At Plowman’s Park we will be having Pizza Day every Thursday starting soon. Due to

updates in the Cash Online system we are not yet able to begin. More information will be

sent home in the next few weeks. Unfortunately, due to

space limitations and health concerns, missed pizza for absent

students cannot be saved.

SYNERVOICE (now called COMMUNICATE) MESSAGES You will continue to receive messages to your home phone or cell phones from the school to

update you on important items throughout the year. It is a great way to communicate with

all families if there is pertinent or timely information to share. If you haven’t been

receiving messages, please call the school to ensure we have the correct contact

information. We hope that this will enhance your connection to the school and keep you

informed.

The long and lazy days of summer are over. Fall is on its way and as the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, it’s a great time for renewal and fresh starts. Focusing and concentrating on good mental health is an important part of overall wellness. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is "a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community." Mental health is something we all have. Just like physical health, there are some things that you and your child can do to be mentally healthy:

Get enough sleep. Remember it takes the average person a complete hour to go from fully awake to fully asleep. If you do an hour-long bedtime routine pretty much the same way every night, your child’s brain will get the message that it is time to shut down for sleep.

Exercise daily - even a short walk makes a difference. Getting outside to exercise provides exposure to Vitamin D the “sunshine vitamin.”

Try to surround you and your family with positive, supportive people.

Eat plenty of nutritious foods.

Spend time everyday doing things that make you and your child feel good.

Take time to relax.

Be in touch with your feelings by being mindful of your thoughts and how you feel. Ask your child how they are feeling.

When there are problems or worries, try to actively work to solve the problem.

Try new things and encourage your child to get involved in school activities or new hobbies.

Go offline. Make a commitment to limit screen time as a family.

Getting your questions answered Do you have questions about your child’s education? Here are some helpful people to contact to ensure you get the answers you need as quickly as possible. Your child’s teacher: If you have questions related to your child’s education, the first person you should speak to is your child’s teacher. They can assist you with homework and assessments, instructional strategies, classroom rules, and questions about the classroom/school. Your school principal or vice-principal: If you require additional assistance, or if your question extends beyond the classroom, speak with your school principal or vice-principal. They can assist you with School Council, school safety, registration, student schedules, report cards, the Student Code of Conduct, and student discipline, along with many other school-wide topics. Your school’s superintendent of education: If you still have unanswered questions or concerns after speaking with your child’s teacher and principal, you can talk to your local superintendent for assistance. Their contact information is available on the ‘About Us’ section of your child’s school website. Your local trustees: Trustees are elected representatives and can assist you with suggestions for the school board, board agenda items, board polices and board budget. You can learn who your trustee is by visiting http://www.peelschools.org/trustees/meetyourtrustee/Pages/default.aspx

Conference helps parents empower modern learners The Peel District School Board is hosting its annual parent conference, co-presented by the Peel Elementary Teachers’ Local, on Saturday, November 3, 2018, at Mississauga Secondary School in Mississauga. After hearing from participants and staff, we are changing the traditional workshop model to an "un-conference" model, where attendees will create their own agenda, and explore all subject areas and experts, as if they were visiting a museum. This format will allow parents to visit and interact with each area and Peel board facilitators. This free learning event is open to Peel parents of students at all grade levels. Our keynote presentation will be delivered by Will Richardson, co-publisher of ModernLearners.com, who converges and shares

knowledge on modern learning. Will’s talk—Schools on the Brink: How Classrooms are Being Reimagined for a World of Networked Learning—will be split into two sessions during the conference. Parents will learn about the schools, districts, provinces, and countries that are leading this profound redefinition of what it means to be fully educated today.

Reserve your spot starting Oct. 1, 201 Stay up-to-date! For more information, visit www.peelschools.org/parents/conference.

Celebrate World Teachers’ Day – Friday, October 5th, 2018 Since 1994, parents and students from around the world have celebrated World Teachers’ Day to commemorate the work of teachers and their contributions to society. On Oct. 5, take the time to let your child's teacher know they are truly appreciated. Thank your child's teacher and let them know they are making a difference.

Peel board recognizes Peel Principals and Vice-Principals’ Day for the first time on October 10th, 2018 In 2018, the board of trustees declared Oct. 10 as Peel Principals and Vice-Principals’ Day. This day allows the community to recognize the important work of principals and vice-principals, and to acknowledge their work in supporting students, staff and their communities every day.

October 17th is an opportunity to say ‘thanks’ to bus drivers

Peel schools will pay tribute to bus drivers on Bus Driver Appreciation Day on Oct. 17, 2018. The day will be celebrated with special activities and events that provide teachers, students and parents an opportunity to thank the people who safely transport over 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 their contribution and ask your child to do so too. The Peel board appreciates the important job bus drivers do each school day and Oct. 17 provides an opportunity to give these individuals the recognition they deserve.

October 24th – Celebrate Peel Teaching Assistant and Early Childhood Educators’ Appreciation Day In 2014, the board of trustees declared the last Wednesday in October as the Peel Teaching Assistant and Early Childhood Educators’ (ECE) Appreciation Day. This year, the recognition day falls on October 24, 2018. The Peel board appreciates the important work of teaching assistants and ECEs, and the contributions that they make in the lives of children, families and community members.

October is International Walk to School Month According to the 2015 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card, about 91 per cent of 5-to-17-year-olds are not meeting Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines to get at least 60 minutes of daily moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity. These declining activity levels are linked to obesity, illness and chronic diseases (i.e., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer).

Using active transportation for the school journey is one of the easiest ways for students to get regular daily physical activity. Managing time to allow for the walk or bike ride to school will become a positive habit that leads to children arriving on time, refreshed and energized for the school day. In fact, University of Illinois research has found that just 20 minutes of easy walking boosts performance in the areas of the brain that support math and reading achievement.

Walking to school also helps out the environment. Eliminating just four short trips per week can reduce emissions by up to 100 kg of carbon dioxide per year. Families that participate in active travel to school can prevent almost 1,000 kg of carbon dioxide per year and save money in fuel costs as well. Also, when more children walk to school and fewer parents drive their children, the areas near school zones become safer for pedestrians. That is why our school will be participating in International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 10. On that day—and throughout the month, if you can—walk, bike, blade, scooter, skip or hop to school….but don’t drive!

International Walk to School month is part of the Active & Safe Routes to School program. Visit www.saferoutestoschool.ca/ for more information.

Tips for being a smart trick-or-treater

Halloween is a fun and exciting time, but safety should be the number one concern. Here are some

safety tips for children:

1) Wear a properly fitted costume that is bright and non-flammable. Use reflective tape on your costume so you can be seen in the dark.

2) Use face makeup or enlarge the eyes on your mask so you can see well. When wearing a mask, push it up on your head while walking.

3) Teach children to visit the front door of well-lit homes and never go inside. 4) Help your child plan a route and a time to be home. 5) Remind children to always walk on the sidewalk, and obey traffic and pedestrian signals. 6) Have an adult check treats at home before allowing children to eat them. 7) Younger children should go trick-or-treating with an adult. Older children are reminded to trick-or-treat in groups. 8) Teach children their home phone number and how to call 9-1-1 if they have an emergency or become lost.

Schools use many strategies to keep children safe Peel schools provide a safe environment for staff and students to work and learn. The board has many procedures to ensure safety. To keep students safe, schools use many strategies including:

requiring all parents and visitors to check in at the main office and obtain visitor passes

the use of a "buddy system" – students can only leave the classroom if accompanied by another student (for example, going to the washroom)

assigning teachers to supervise inside and outside the school during recesses, before and after school

locking all exteriors doors, including the main entrance, during school hours [elementary schools only]

encouraging staff to regularly review street proofing skills with students

expecting staff and students to report unidentified individuals to the office immediately

holding fire drills and "lockdown" rehearsals

having evacuation and bomb threat plans in place

ensuring that all staff and volunteers have up-to-date criminal record checks or have completed Offence Declarations

working with the police to provide education on street-proofing We feel that it is important that you also take this opportunity to review safe procedures with your child. Peel Regional Police have provided the following safety guidelines:

Tell your children to never go anywhere with a stranger, not to talk to strangers and never take anything from them. You also have to teach them what a "safe stranger" is in case they need help. A safe stranger includes a police officer, a cashier, a fire fighter.

Develop a "what if" game for children to get them thinking about how they would respond if they felt threatened or afraid.

Know who your children play with and where they go. This includes keeping a list of their friend's addresses and phone numbers.

Do not leave your child in unsupervised locations, such as cars, parks, public washrooms, arenas, malls and plazas, etc.

Teach your children where and how to get help. Go with them on their regularly travelled routes.

Your child's body is private. Tell your children that no one may touch the area their bathing suit covers. If someone tries to touch them, they should tell you immediately.

Teach your children to talk to you immediately when someone does anything that makes them feel strange or uncomfortable. Listen when your children are trying to tell you about something that bothers them and provide them with support and understanding.

Communicate to your children the importance of following the teacher’s instructions during a lockdown, hold and secure, bomb threat, shelter in place or fire drill and to not use cell phones to ensure their own safety. For more information about safety at your school, review your school handbook or speak to your principal or teacher.

Celebrating Faith and Culture - October 2018

DATE HOLY DAY(S)/HOLIDAY FAITH AND CULTURE

October Xlaaw and Falling Leaves Aboriginal Spirituality

Sunset of Sept 30 to October 1

Simchat Torah

Judaism

October 7 World Communion Sunday Christianity

October 8 Thanksgiving Canada

October 9 Sharad Navratri Hinduism

October 12 – 16 Ghambar Ayathrem Zoroastrianism

October 16 – November 3

The month of ‘Ilm Bahá'í

October 16 Durgaashtami Hinduism

October 18 Vijaya Dashmi/Dassehra Hinduism

October 20 Installation of the Guru Granth as Guru Sikhism

October 24 Kathina Ceremony/ Pavarana Day Buddhism

October 27 Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s Enlightenment (Pravrajya)

Buddhism

October 27 Karva Chauth Hinduism

October 29 Arbaeen Islam

October 31 Halloween Canada

Sunset of October 31 to November 1

Samhain Wicca