HUNTINGTON RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL

October 30, 2013

345 Huntington Ridge Drive, Mississauga, ON L5R 1R6

Phone: 905-890-2170 Fax: 905-890-6530

Attendance Line: 905-890-2170 Press 1

School Web Site: http://huntingtonridge.peelschools.org

School Council e-mail address: huntingtonridgeps.council@peelsb.com

Peel District School Board Web Site: www.peelschools.org

Ministry of Education Web Site: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca

Trustee: Sue Lawton, Wards 3 & 4 905-625-8084 susan.lawton@peelsb.com

Superintendent: Ina Fournier South Field Office: 905-366-8800

Principal: Sharon Totafurno Vice Principal: Mary Mikhail

This October we were pleased to welcome four new staff members to Huntington Ridge Public School. Mrs. Langford is our new Office Manager. The next time you visit the school please be sure to introduce yourself to Mrs. Langford. In addition, we hired three teachers to join our staff. They are Mrs. Lowe, Mrs. Dhaliwal and Ms. Giampietro. Mrs. Langford, Mrs. Lowe, Mrs. Dhaliwal and Ms. Giampietro bring knowledge and expertise that enrich the students, their colleagues and our school. We are glad that they have joined the Huntington Ridge TEAM!

Every Fall teachers provide parents with information about the curriculum expectations, homework and other information about classroom routines. Some teachers have sent this information home in the form of a newsletter or handout for parents. Other teachers, who have created a My Class site, have posted this information online for parents to access. If you have difficulty accessing the My Class site for your child’s class, please notify the teacher. If you have any questions about the classroom program please feel free to contact your child’s teacher. We know that when parents and teachers partner together this collaboration supports the success of every student by helping each individual child achieve to the best of his or her ability.

On Wednesday, October 30th, parents of students in Grades One through Five received the Elementary Progress Report Card for each of their children, along with confirmation of your appointment time for a Parent-Teacher Conference. This is an excellent time to reflect on and celebrate your child’s learning to date. The Parent-Teacher Conferences provide an opportunity to discuss the progress your child is making and set goals. These discussions lay the foundation upon which to build toward greater success for the first term Report Card which will be sent home in the new year. Kindergarten teachers are also arranging times to meet with parents and are contacting parents directly. We are thankful to you, the parents of our Huntington Ridge students, for your support as we partner together for the benefit of your children. This partnership is what makes Huntington Ridge a great school.

The HEROES theme for November is Responsibility. One aspect of this is to demonstrate responsibility in our stewardship of the environment. We encourage everyone to reduce, reuse and recycle especially in the preparation of lunches and snacks that are brought to school. You will notice on the November calendar that we will be participating in a Wasteless Lunch Challenge during the last week of November. Watch the monthly school newsletters for more information about our environmental activities.

The excitement of learning continues at Huntington Ridge Public School. Please read on.

HUNTINGTON RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL

Respect, Learn , Achieve

345 Huntington Ridge Drive Mississauga, ON L5R 1R6 Tel: (905) 890-2170 Principal: Ms. S. Totafurno Vice Principal: Mrs. M. Mikhail Office Manager: Mrs. B. Langford

Huntington Ridge School Council

We have received a candidate nomination form from the following four parents who are volunteering to serve on our School Council. We appreciate the willingness of parents to serve our school community in this way. We received five nominations and have acclaimed these five to the School Council. Each parent who volunteered has provided the following information to describe why they are interested in serving on our School Council. Younis Mousa Al-Qawasmi

Being a part of the School Council will allow me to provide our children with this sense of care and connection towards their own school. Assimilating activities we love to practise with our children at home with school activities will most definitely break this barrier that most of our children have, hence psychologically connecting them with the caring environment they enjoy and admire at home. If I get elected to a positions in the school council, I will make sure this issue is a priority and will work to my full potential to achieve this goal, and thus make Huntington Ridge a more caring, loving and rewarding school for our children to be in.

Hollinsworth Auguste

Over the past 8 years my daughter’s world view has been shaped from within the walls of Huntington Ridge P.S. At the age of 3 she attended PLASP then moved on to K-5. I’m extremely pleased with her scholastic success and sense of community at Huntington Ridge. It would be my privilege to contribute to this successful program in any capacity.

Ali Chiri

During the past year, I have participated with the school council as “guest”. It was a great opportunity to continuously discuss and propose ideas to improve the academic and social outputs of our children. It would be an honour to contribute again in making the right decisions in order to maintain the highest quality of education for the young generation of our community.

Khaled Hjouj

Participate in creating a healthy environment for our children at school. Serve our community by participation, inclusion and volunteering. Introduce new ideas and activities to the school.

Syeda Sarwat Sohail I want to promote good teacher parent relationships for the best interest of the students.

All parents are invited to attend our School Council meetings. The dates will be published in our school newsletter. We look forward to working together with you this year. Sharon Totafurno Mary Mikhail Principal Vice Principal

ATTENDANCE

School starts at 9:00 AM. If you drive your child to school, please make sure that they arrive by 8:50 AM. This will allow them time to walk around to the back of the school and be ready to enter

through the appropriate door when the entry bell rings. Teachers are on duty beginning at 8:45 AM. The entry bell rings at 8:55 AM. At 9:00 AM, teachers are no longer on duty, as they are

expected to be in their classrooms.

After 9:00 AM, students must enter through the front doors with a parent to obtain a

late slip from the office.

Thank you for setting up routines at home and encouraging your child to arrive to school on time.

HEROES AWARDS

HERO Awards are given out during the regularly

scheduled HEROES Assembly to recognize students who

consistently demonstrated a HEROES character Trait.

In the months of September and October students

learned about Respect and Organization.

Congratulations to our HEROES Award recipients.

K1: Humzah A. and Zain H. K2: Navi D. and Isha M.

K3: Arsen R. K4: Ishal K.

K5: Abdalrahman A. K7: Tenzin W. and Lang Ji L.

K8: Vaishakh N. and Leen A. K9: Etidal A.

1A: Ava Tsang 1B: Reine C.

1C: Mashal Z. 2/3: Meer N. and Gia G.

2A: Dana B. 2B: Fatimah S.

2C: Gia C. and Bonnie T. 3A: Sahana S.

3B: Jada L. 3C: Jenny L.

4A; Amanda Y. 4B: Daania M.

4C: Kaneera U. 4D: Oliva K.

5A: Haseeb K. and Maya R. 5B: Yadullah M.

5C: Omar A., Catalina A., Breanna L. and Mommna S.

5D: Zain R.

School Council

We would like to thank all parents who took the time to attend our School Council

Meeting on October 17th at 7:00 PM. We had a great turnout and would like to continue

to welcome all of our parents to attend meetings and be actively involved in your child’s

learning.

Our next meeting is Thursday, November 21st at 7:00 PM

MedicAlert’s No Child Without Program is at Our School

The No Child Without program offers a free MedicAlert membership to students who attend our school and are between the ages of 4 up to their 14th birthday. If your child has a medical condition, allergy or is required to take medication on a regular basis then you should consider a MedicAlert membership through this program. MedicAlert is your child’s voice in an emergency,

MedicAlert membership;

Gives emergency first responders immediate access to a your child’s medical information on their MedicAlert bracelet or necklet

Enables first responders to quickly obtain up to date medical information by means of the child’s

Electronic Health Record through the 24 Hour Emergency Hotline.

Communicates with the parent or emergency contact upon activation of the Hotline

Allows free updates of the child’s medical record as needed

MedicAlert identification can alert school staff, friends, coaches and others about your child’s medical condition should an emergency occur.

For further information please contact the Principal to obtain a brochure or go to www.nochildwithout.ca.

To register your child you will need a No Child Without brochure from the office.

If your child is already part of the No Child Without program and there have been changes to their medical condition, medications or emergency contact information, call MedicAlert at 1-866-679-3220 to update your child’s file.

Huntington Ridge Spirit Wear Will be on sale until November 12, 2013.

An order form is attached to this newsletter.

Samples will be available on Thursday evening, November 7 and Friday morning, November 8.

SCHOOL PHOTOS

The proofs of your child’s school photo were sent home this week. If you

would like a photo retake, return the proof sheet to your child’s teacher.

Please write “retake” on the proof sheet.

Photo Retake Day is Friday, November 1 from 10:30 AM - 1:30

Continuing Education International Languages

2013-2014 program

Elementary international languages courses are available to currently enrolled Peel District School Board students. Instruction is provided in Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Eritrean, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malayalam, Mandarin and Mandarin-Pinyin, Marathi, Nepali, Persian, Polish, Punjabi, Serbian, Sinhalese, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese. The program is available at 22 locations in Brampton and Mississauga. For details on which languages are available at what locations, please visit our website at www.peelschools.org/conted/il.

How do I register my child? Registration is an online process accessible through the website at www.peelschools.org/conted/il. Registration for elementary classes remains open until February 28, 2014. Enrolment is limited at each location and classes with insufficient enrolment will be cancelled.

If you have any questions, please contact us at conted.info@peelsb.com

Multicultural Settlement and Education Partnerships (MSEP) program at

Huntington Ridge Public School

The Multicultural Settlement and Education Partnerships (MSEP) is a settlement program that has assigned a

Settlement Workers to Huntington Ridge Public School to help you and your child successfully integrate into

the school and the community.

The MSEP worker proactively contacts all newcomer families to orient them to the school system and

provides information, settlement services, and referrals to more specialized community resources as needed.

Also, the MSEP worker provides group information sessions for newcomer parents on various topics

according to parents’ needs and interests.

Available services:

•Employment

•Housing

•Health

•Education

•Community & Recreation

•Legal Services

•Immigration & Citizenship

•Seasonal activities for children

And more........

Call Thanga Kopalasingam, your settlement worker, at 647-261-5723 to make an appointment to meet

him in the school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Winter bus safety The following winter school bus safety tips will help to keep your child safe throughout the winter months. •Allow extra time to get to your bus stop. •Wear bright clothing so the bus can see you in the early morning and late evening. •Stand away from where the bus stops. Buses need extra room to stop when there is snow and ice. •Use the handrail when boarding or exiting the bus to prevent slipping on wet or icy steps or road surfaces. •Dress properly—winter clothing, hats, and boots will keep you warm. •Don't throw snowballs at the bus or other children waiting for the bus. •Don't slide on the snow or ice patches in driveways or on the street. •Don't push or shove around the bus. Someone could fall down on the ice and get hurt. On very rare occasions, buses are late because of weather conditions or mechanical problems. Talk to your child about what to do if the bus is late. Here are some suggestions: •When possible, wait with your child for the bus. •Make sure your child knows a phone number where he can reach you or another trusted

adult. •Help your child set up a bus stop buddy system so your child has someone to wait with

Choose Action on Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

The Peel District School Board will recognize Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week during the week of November 18 to 22.

Across the Peel board, schools use many programs and initiatives to prevent bullying and to intervene when bullying happens. Though the programs vary, their messages are consistent. Students are taught to:

•define bullying

•identify forms of bullying

•identify roles in bullying relationships, for example the person who bullies, the target, the

bystander or the trusted advocate

•determine how to safely “choose action” to prevent and intervene in bullying & harassment

•demonstrate character attributes and be a leader to help maintain positive and safe school

communities

Every school has a Climate for Learning and Working Team which is required to develop a Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan as part of the School Success Plan. Also, every employee who is involved in the care and service of students is obligated to report in writing to the school administration any action for which the principal must consider suspension or expulsion. Bullying is an offence that must be considered for suspension.

Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week is one of the key items contained in Bill 13: The Accepting Schools Act, that came into effect on September 1, 2012. For more information, visit: www.peelschools.org/aboutus/safeschools/bullying/ or www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/safeschools/prevention.html

PIZZA DAY ORDER FORMS

At Huntington Ridge Public School we are collecting pizza orders one month in advance. The pizza forms are sent home with all students from grade 1 to 5.

Pizza Days for November, December and January

Order Due Dates are:

October 25h November 22h December 13th

for for for

November Days December Days January Days

November 6 December 4 January 8

November 13 December 11 January 15

November 20 December 18 January 22

November 27 January 29

REMEMBRANCE DAY ASSEMBLY

Huntington Ridge Public School students will participate in a Remembrance Day Assembly on Monday, November 11 at 10:30 AM

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch #582 has provided a poppy for each student to wear on November 11. We are suggesting a $1.00 donation for the poppy your child will wear, however any amount is appreciated. Please send your donation to your child’s teacher on Monday, November 11.

Family and friends are welcome to join us for our Remembrance Day Assembly which will be held in the school gym beginning at 10:30 AM

Creative Arts PerformancesCreative Arts Performances

On Monday, November 18th Huntington Ridge will host our first Creative Arts

Performance for the 2013-2014 school year. We were pleased to welcome Jack

Grunksy Productions in the show titled ―Sing and Dance with Jack.‖ This show will

be for our Kindergarten students.

On Tuesday, November 19th, Grades 1 to 5 will enjoy a show by Shoestring Opera

entitled ―The Schoolyard Carmen.‖

Thank you to all our parents and guardians for their continued support.

Prevent the flu. It’s in your hands.

Hand washing is the most important way to prevent the spread of infection. Always wash your hands with soap and water when they are dirty. Clean your hands before:

touching your eyes, nose or mouth

touching/preparing food or drinks

eating or drinking caring for someone in your home who can easily get sick

(baby, elderly or someone who has an unhealthy Immune system)

first aid Clean your hands after:

touching pets or other animals

touching raw meat, particularly chicken

touching surfaces such as a railing or grocery cart

touching money

touching objects sick people have touched

touching blood or body fluids such as urine, vomit or feces

contact with those who have a cold, the flu, diarrhea or virus of any kind

changing diapers

wiping your own or a child’s nose

sneezing or coughing

using a facial tissue

using the washroom

removing gloves

Cleaning, gardening What to do when you cough or sneeze:

cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve

put used tissues in the wastebasket clean your hands with soap and water or a hand sanitizer For more information call Peel Health at 905-799-7700 or visit www.peelregion.ca/flu.

Register for French Immersion by Jan. 31, 2014

Are you thinking of registering your child for French Immersion (FI)? For the 2014-15 school year, parents must register children for entry into grade 1 FI by 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, 2014. Registration for FI will be done through an online registration form that will be available on Nov. 22 at www.peelschools.org/parents/programs/French/registration. What is the FI program like? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the program? How can you tell if it is the right choice for your child? One way to help answer these questions is to attend the information meeting at the FI school your child would attend. Meet the principal and some of the teachers from the school. Hear about the program and have an opportunity to ask questions. Talk with some parents whose children are now in the program. A parent information night will be held at each FI school in Peel on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. Registration process A grade 1 FI enrolment cap is in place. This means that a specific number of spots are available for students entering grade 1 FI. If the number of students registered by the deadline exceeds the number of spots in grade 1 FI, a lottery system will be used to identify students gaining entrance into the grade 1 FI program. All students who make the registration deadline will be placed in a lottery and assigned a rank using a computerized random selection process. Spots are not assigned on a first come, first served basis. Once students have been assigned to all available spots, remaining students will be placed, again in rank order, on the school's waitlist. Some students will be automatically placed in grade 1 FI. To find out if your child does not need to participate in the lottery, and for more information about the lottery and waitlist processes, visit www.peelschools.org/parents/programs/French/registration. How to get more information Visit the Peel board website—www.peelschools.org/parents/programs/French/registration. Call Edenrose Public School at 905-567-4296. Visit the Canadian Parents for French website at www.cpfont.on.ca.

Help your child prepare for tests

Many students will become anxious at the thought of writing a test. Anxiety about an upcoming test can affect a child's behaviour, thoughts and actions. Here are some ways you can help minimize anxiety at test time: Organize & Prepare

•Encourage your child not to leave assignments, studying and homework to the last minute.

•Schedule time for review and work on assignments each day. •Establish a regular time of the day for homework, studying etc. •Make the home a homework-friendly environment where learning is regular routine. •Remove distractions like the television, stereo, telephone when studying. •Tell your child to make sure tests and due dates are marked in their agenda.

Practice

•Encourage your child to think about ‘what, when, where and how’ when preparing/completing assignments. •Develop practice tests and help them anticipate questions. •Review previous exercises. •When appropriate, encourage your child to pair up with a friend to review information and brainstorm. •Build learning into family activities— suggest keeping a journal, writing a report or a news article about family events,

outings or trips. Be in the know

•Check out the curriculum for your child’s grade level (available as PDF files at www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum) •Ask your child’s teacher about major topics studied and how these topics are structured— homework, assignments,

exercises •Use your child’s agenda to communicate with their teacher—ask questions, check for homework tips, etc.

Ecosource Green Schools Update: Get Ready to Rock ‘N’ Roll Towards Less Waste!

The Green Schools Program has officially launched at Huntington Ridge PS and we’re excited to share the many

exciting initiatives planned for the month of November!

Our first major Green Schools event will take place on November 5, when a number of classes will participate in a

school-wide waste audit! Students will suit-up in safety gear and help sort one day’s worth of garbage and recy-

cling. This team-building, hands-on learning activity will give our students an opportunity to see firsthand the type

and quantity of waste produced at our school every day.

After the waste-audit, we will become reducing, reusing, and recycling rock stars by taking the 3R’s Rock Stars

Wasteless Lunch Challenge! Every day during the week of Monday, November 25 to Friday, November 29, we are

asking each student to pack Rock Star lunches. These are lunches containing at least 3 reusable items that do not

create any waste. On the other hand, students are encouraged to try and avoid packing One Hit Wonder lunches

which create a lot of waste.

If Huntington Ridge reaches its goal of 2,000 Rock Star Lunches over the week, we will win an Eco-Themed Movie

Day! In addition, there will be a special prize for classes with the highest overall participation. Make sure to bring

in your Rock Star Lunches and let’s rock ‘n’ roll towards our goal!

If you have any questions about the Ecosource Green Schools Program, please feel free to contact Angie Sanchez,

School Campaign Coordinator at 905-274-6222 or asanchez@ecosource.ca

Celebrating Faith and Culture November 2013

.

DATE

CELEBRATION FAITH AND CULTURE

November Gwilatkw Aboriginal Spirituality

November 1 All Saints' Day Christianity

November 1 Samhain Wicca

November 2 or 3 Diwali Hinduism

November 3 Diwali/Lord Mahavir Nirvan Jainism November 3 or 4 New Year’s Day/Day of Enlightenment Hinduism and Jainism

November 3 Bandi Chhor Divas Sikhism

November 4 or 5 New Year (Hijra) and Muharram Islam

November 4 -22 The month of Qudrat Bahá'í

November 7 Gnan Panchami Jainism

November 11 Remembrance Day Canada

November 12 Birth of Baha’u’lláh Báhá'í

November 13 Ashura Islam

November 16 Louis Riel Day Aboriginal Spirituality

November 17 Dev Diwali Jainism

November 17 Birth of Guru Nanak Sikhism

November 23 - December 11 The month of Qawl Bahá'í

November 24 Martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur Sikhism

November 26 Day of Covenant Bahá'í

Sunset November 27 to December

5 Chanukah Judaism

November 28 First day of Advent (Christmas fast) Christianity

November 28 Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Bahá'í

The Chocolate Challenge Campaign at Huntington Ridge P.S.

Thank you to all parents, and students who have contributed to our Chocolate Challenge Fundraising Campaign! Many of our students have sold chocolates to family and friends in order for our school to acquire additional funds for numeracy materials and initiatives that will enhance our regular resources. Monies raised may also be used to augment the current selection of resources in our book room.

Your support helps make our school an excellent learning environment for all students! Please remember that we plan to award the Grand Prizes to the three top selling students on November 5

th. At the end of our Fundraising Campaign,

the top selling Kindergarten class will be given a popcorn party and the two top selling classes in Grades 1 – Grade 5 will have a pizza party. Our fundraising campaign ended on October 25

th. Parents, please remember to return all

money and unsold chocolates to the office as soon as possible.

Many students won Early Bird prizes throughout our fundraising campaign. Some of the Early Bird prizes included stickers, pens, erasers, light-up rings, and puzzles. Congratulations to our Early Bird Draw winners.