NEWSLETTER-

February 2016

“Inspiring our students to recognize their

diverse talents”

Queen Elizabeth Senior Public School

60 South Service Road

Mississauga, Ontario

L5G 2R9

Phone 905-278-7287

Ms Anne Muller, Principal

Ms Annie Vaisar, Acting Vice Principal

Mr. K.A. Edwards, Superintendent

Mrs. J. McDougald, Trustee

Website:

http://queenelizabethsr.peelschools.org/

“Building healthy relationships with

others”

Upcoming Dates:

February 2015

3 TSO trip—QE Arts students

9 QE Spirit Day for United Way

Gr.7’s—Spirit of Harriet Tubman

10 Peel Health Immunization Clinic

11 Report Cards go home

12 Valentine’s Dance and Activity Afternoon

15 Family Day Holiday

16 School Council Mtg. 6:30 PM

17 & 18 QE Arts Selection Sessions

19 Gr.8 Dental Screening

23 Gr.8 Drama Showcase 6:30 pm

24 Gr. 7 Vaudeville Showcase 6:30 pm

25 Social Media Fitness presentation—Chris

Vollum, Speaker 6:30 pm

Principal’s Messsage

Continuing this year, there will be no school-wide parent/teacher interview day scheduled for the February reporting period for Elementary students. Term One Report Cards will be going home with students on Thursday, February 11

th.

By this point in the school year, parents should be well aware of their child's progress based on the ongoing communication from the school. You will receive a letter with the February report card that indicates if your child is meeting expectations. Should your child’s progress be of concern, the teacher will contact you to discuss ways to work together to further support his/her learning needs by the end of February.

Our teachers are committed to providing parents with the information they need to support their child’s success and will continue to communicate with parents throughout the school year as needed. Some of the ways you can continue to keep up-to-date about your child's progress, even in Middle School, include talking to your child about school, reviewing their home-work and agenda, reviewing marked assignments and tests and of course, ongoing communication with their teacher(s).

Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at the school.

Sincerely, Anne Muller

Office News

Thank you to our office

announcers Maks and

Sarah and office helpers

Anastasia

and Zoe.

Great job!

FAMILY DAY HOLIDAY

Monday, February 15th

No school. Enjoy the day with

your family!

SCHOOL CLOSED FOR PD

DAY ON APRIL 11, 2016

As a result of labour settlements with various federations and employee groups, the Ministry of Education has directed all school boards to create an additional Professional Activity Day this year and for each school year going forward.

For the 2015-16 school year, the

additional PA Day for the Peel District

School Board will be April 11, 2016.

All Peel board elementary and

secondary schools will be closed to

students on this day. The next day,

April 12, will remain a Day 2 for

students.

PUNCTUALITY— AN IMPORTANT LIFE SKILL!

The number of students who are coming late for school is increasing and is a cause for concern not only for their safety, but also for their academic success and social adjustment. We understand that in the morning rush, just getting your child out the door can be a victory and being on time can be a real achievement. Occasionally, circumstances beyond your control will cause a late arrival, but a pattern of late arrivals—even by just a few minutes—can have a negative impact: from causing undue stress and anxiety in your child to creating unnecessary disruption to his/her classmates and teacher.

Parents, please help us instill this important life skill in your child by ensuring your child arrives to school on time. You can help by:

· establishing a regular bedtime for your child;

· ensuring your child wakes up at a consistent time in the morning that

allows them adequate time for getting ready for school;

· preparing school materials the night before and putting them in the

same location for the morning; and

If you choose to drive your child to school, please plan on arriving between 8:15 – 8:25 a.m. Staff who are out on duty at the morning Kiss 'N Ride will be coming in at 8:30 in order to supervise their own classes.

Thank-you for your ongoing support in helping us meet our goal of Maximizing Learning Time For All!

PEANUTS/NUT PRODUCTS STAY HOME!!

Queen Elizabeth Sr. Public School and The Peel District School Board have a progressive approach to making sure that students with severe food allergies are safe at school. If your child has anaphylaxis—a severe allergic reaction to a food, insect bite or medication—please contact the office. We will work with you to develop a plan for keeping your child safe at school.

We have several students at our school with severe or life-threatening allergies to peanuts and nuts. We ask that you help us take care of these students by choosing lunches and snacks for your child that are free from peanuts or nuts. Please read the label of any food you plan to send to school with your child. If the label says, "May contain nuts or peanuts," please do not send it to school.

You can get a complete copy of the Peel Board's anaphylaxis guideline from our school office or from www.peelschools.org and click on the "Special Education" icon on the homepage. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office.

LIBRARY NEWS

This Winter for the very first time here at Queen Elizabeth we are beginning the Forest of Reading pro-gram as an extracurricular activity. There has been much excitement from teachers and students and so far in our first month our students are really enjoying the program. The basis of the program is to give students who enjoy reading an opportunity to read 10 nominated titles written by different Canadian

authors, and vote at the end of May for their favourite novel. All the books are Canadian based and have different issues and topics students can relate to. Here at QE we have taken on Red Maple and Silver birch programs, which gives us the opportunity to have more students participate. As the teacher librarian we have had an amazing start with so many students interested in reading, which is always a great thing to see in our students. I am looking forward to hear which books students have chosen at the end of the year!

THE CREATIVE ZONE CLUB

A very enthusiastic group of students are meeting with Ms Buckley every Thursday at lunch

recess. Students are tapping into their creative side by drawing, writing poetry, colouring, building objects, writing

music, making crafts and other art activities.

The group would appreciate any crafting supplies that you might have to donate, such as construction/tissue paper,

glue sticks, pipe cleaners, fabric, rainbow loom materials or any other craft items you can think of.

QE ARTS ROADSHOW

Just a note to say a big thank you to all the grade 7 and 8's who represented Queen Elizabeth with outstanding grace during our

three day roadshow. Three days and six schools were visited last week to spread the word about our regional arts program to

grade sixes. All performers worked diligently and tirelessly not only during our trip but the week leading up to the performances.

We have a new jam and our "squad" found new friendships and traded expertise throughout the week. A special thank you to Mr.

Rehner who helped put the show together.

I would also like to thank our grade 7 and 8's who volunteered their time and skill to make Parent art info night a success. Again, with very little time to practice, each student involved dedicated their skills and enthusiasm to the evening performance and answered questions like professionals. I appreciate all that you do. Ms. Brown Hart

Facts matter: Understanding the revised Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum

There’s been a lot of information and misinformation circulating about the revised HPE curriculum. At the Peel District School

Board, we want our families to make an informed choice based on facts. That’s why we created a neutral, fact-based parent guide

that outlines:

the curriculum is not new and has been taught since 1998

our professional staff teach in a sensitive, age-appropriate manner

parents will get advance notice of lessons

teaching of human development and sexual health delayed to spring 2016

there will be only two to five lessons per year

the material that will be covered in each grade

parents play a vital role in supporting the curriculum

To read the full parent guide and learn more, visit www.peelschools.org/HPE

The guide is available in English and the top languages spoken by Peel families:

SECONDARY REGIONAL PROGRAMS AND EXPLORE HIGH SKILLS

First round offers February 8, 2016

First round acceptances February 12, 2016

Second round offers February 16, 2016

SCHOOL COUNCIL

All Queen Elizabeth parents/guardians are welcome and encouraged to attend the Social Media Fitness presentation with speaker Chris Vollum on February 25, at 6:30 pm in the school auditorium. He will have presented to our students that morning, so come out to this special evening presentation to hear how parents can help their children navigate the social media “web”!

The next School Council meeting is Tuesday, February 16th at 6:30 PM in the school staff room. All Queen Elizabeth parents/guardians are welcome to attend.

Register today for Adult ESL or LINC classes Do you know an adult that is interested in improving their English language skills for work, study or daily life?

Through the Continuing & Adult Education department, the Peel District School Board offers a wide variety of English language

classes that help parents experience success in Canadian English in both listening/speaking and reading/writing. Courses are de-

signed for a range of basic, intermediate and advanced English (Levels 1 to 7) as well as the more experienced learner needing to

prepare for an IELTS exam.

Winter courses begin February 8, 2016.

All learners that complete a session will earn a certificate of learning from the Peel District School Board.

Classes operate from six locations in Brampton and Mississauga with three specially designed adult centres at:

Bramalea - Adult Education Centre - 25 Kings Cross Road, Unit 3

Brampton - Adult Education Centre - #300 - 7700 Hurontario Street

Mississauga - Adult Education Centre - 100 Elm Drive West, Room 117

To learn more or to register, call 905-270-6000. Also visit www.peelschools.org/adulteducation or follow us on Twitter:

@PDSBLearnESL

Celebrating Faith and Culture

February 2016

DATE

CELEBRATION FAITH AND CULTURE

February Buxwlaks Aboriginal Spirituality

February 1 or 2 Imbolc Wicca

February 3 Setsubun-sai Shinto

February 7 to 26 month of Mulk Bahá’í

February 8 Lunar New Year/Maitreya Bodhisatt-va’s Birthday

Buddhism

February 10 Ash Wednesday Christianity

February 12 Vasant Panchami Hinduism

February 15 National Flag Day Canada

February 15 Family Day Ontario

February 22 Lantern Festival/Magha Puja Buddhism

February 26 to February 29 Intercalary Days Bahá'í

Give what you can on United Way Giving Day – Feb. 9, 2016

At the Peel District School Board, our mission is to inspire success, confidence and hope in each student – each and every day. Yet we know that there are many needs in our community that we can’t address on our own, like providing food for families that may go without or supporting communities after a crisis. That’s why we are holding a board-wide giving day in support of United Way of Peel Region, a key partner and supporter of Peel families.

This year, the Peel board has declared Feb. 9 as United Way Giving Day to raise much needed funds for United Way of Peel Region and the network of social service agencies it supports. Whether it’s providing shelter for a mother and her children in Brampton, matching a child who is at risk with a mentor in Caledon, or funding a breakfast program in Mississauga for youth that would other-wise go hungry, United Way of Peel Region offers hope and possibility to thousands in our community.

A donation of:

$2 may go towards a warm winter coat for a child.

$10 supports a child with interactive, recreational outings for one year, including healthy snacks and transportation, to help them build their social skills and self-esteem.

$25 matches a teen with a caring adult mentor who will meet with him or her several times each month for fun activities.

This is a completely voluntary campaign and any contributions are welcome. Whether you send a loonie, toonie or cheque made out to your child’s school, your contribution will make a difference. Pledges of $25 or more will automatically receive a tax receipt from United Way of Peel Region. To receive a receipt, you must fill out the pledge form on the back and send it to school with your donation by March 29, 2016.

Thank you for lending a helping hand to those who need it most. Together, we can Inspire Possibility!

United Way Giving Day

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Make cheques payable to your local school

All proceeds go to the United Way of Peel Region. Pledges of $25 or more will automatically receive a

tax receipt if a complete address is provided below and pledge form is submitted to your school by March 29, 2016.

Name Address City/Province Postal Code Amount

Pledged

Receipt

Requested

Insπre. Gr23ness. 2gether.

Everyone is a math teacher, parents included

Parents and other adults in our students' lives are important partners in children's mathematics edu-

cation. By engaging your children in thinking and talking about mathematics, you help support their

numeracy success.

To help you with this, one great resource is the Ministry of Education's Doing Mathemathics With

Your Child. You can find this guide for parents of children in kindergarten to grade online at

www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentGuideNumEn.pdf. For more math tips and tools

for parents of kindergarten to grade 12 students, visit ABC 123 at www.edu.gov.on.ca/abc123/eng/

tips/ and the Peel District School Board’s Math Help site at www.peelschools.org/parents/

helpyourchild/math.

________________________________________________________________________

REGISTER TODAY

Saturday, April 2, 2016 – 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Rick Hansen Secondary School, Mississauga

Plan to attend our annual, free conference for Peel District School Board parents on Saturday, April

2, 2016. Take one day to enjoy:

a powerful keynote presentation focused on math success

your choice of 61 practical workshops facilitated by Peel board staff

a display area with educational exhibits from local organizations

free lunch and an opportunity to meet Peel parents

This year, a large number of morning workshops will provide parents with strategies to help you sup-

port math success at home. Flyers are being sent home with Peel students now—look for yours. Reg-

ister today at www.peelschools.org/parents/conference.

Closing schools due to bad weather

During the winter months, we may need to cancel buses or close schools because of inclement weather.

Information regarding details of cancellations or closures will be announced on radio and television stations listed below and post-ed at www.peelschools.org and www.stopr.ca. Information will also be available on Twitter @Peelschools, Facebook at www.facebook.com/peelschools or by calling 905-890-1010 or 1-800-668-1146.

VIRGIN RADIO FM99.9 CHUM AM1050 CFTR AM680

CFNY FM102.1/AM640 CJCL AM590 CHFI FM98.1

CFRB AM1010 EZ ROCK FM97.3 CJBC (FR) AM860

FM Z103.5 FM93.1 FM Q107

CHIN FM100.7/AM1540 CBC99.1 CTV

CITYPULSE GLOBAL NEWS

One of the following messages will be announced (highlighted text only):

Peel District School Board buses are cancelled.

This means that schools remain open for students and staff, but buses are cancelled. Bus cancellations could occur in all or parts of municipalities. Buses will remain cancelled all day. All activities that require bussing will also be cancelled. Permits, night school classes, child care and other activities in schools will operate as usual.

All Peel District School Board schools and board offices are closed.

This means that all schools and Board offices are closed to students and staff. All activities in schools and board offices are also can-celled, including child care, night school and permits.

All evening programs and permits at the Peel District School Board are cancelled.

This means that all activities in schools and Board offices are cancelled, including continuing education courses and events. The buildings will be closed.

All weekend programs and permits at the Peel District School Board are cancelled.

This means that all activities in schools and Board offices are cancelled, including continuing education courses and events. The buildings will be closed.