Pierre Berton Public School

Principal Wendy McVicar-Lew

Vice-Principal Jennifer May

Office Staff Jane Purdy Zabrina Fraser

Superintendent Paul Valle 905-764-6830

Trustee Linda Aversa 647-462-0921

Inside This Issue:

Pierre Berton Public School 470 Via Campanile, Vaughan, ON

905-303-4540

Administrators’ Message May 2017

May is finally here, warmer weather is fast approaching and the sunshine is always wel-come. As the weather changes, students are reminded that sunscreen and a hat are very helpful in protecting themselves from the sun’s rays. It is also important for stu-dents to remember that they will be outside for recess weather permitting and it would be helpful if they would stay out of wet or muddy areas. Extra socks or clothes may also be helpful for students as we often have students needing call home for dry clothes. Staff and students have been working hard over the past eight months and have achieved many successes. Pierre Berton staff are continuing to support the learning ex-pectations for students as well as the many wonderful activities that have been ongo-ing. The month of April saw many exciting events including our Wellness Week and our Light It Up Blue Assembly. We greatly appreciate everyone’s support in ensuring that these events were very successful in supporting our continued goal of supporting inclu-sion for all. The coming month is a very busy one! We have many more events, field trips, perfor-mances, EQAO and more. We also look forward to all of the continued learning in class-rooms as students continue to work on their academic and learning skills goals. Keep working hard Panthers!

Important Dates:

Admin. Message 1

Parent Information 2

Positive Climates for Learning

3-6

Student Achievement 6

School Council 7-8

May 4 K– 2 Arts Perfor-mance

May 16 Talent Show

May 17 Gr. 3-8 Arts Perfor-mance

May 18 Track and Field

May 23 Victoria Day

May 25 TRIBES Assembly

May 25 Spirit Day

May 28 Earn Your Feet Friday

Writing the Pages of our Future!

Grade 3 and 6 EQAO Assessments

This year’s EQAO Assessments for grades 3 and 6 students will be held between May 23 - June 5, 2017. Please ensure that your child is at school during the weeks of the assessments and avoid booking medical appointments or family vacations if pos-sible. For information about the assessment, please visit the EQAO website.

Parent Information Page 2

Summer Institute The York Region District School Board Summer Institute is a program that offers academic, recrea-tional and athletic programs and activities with intentional links to the Ontario Curriculum for chil-dren and youth entering Senior Kindergarten to Grade 8. Programs are offered at in Richmond Hill, Markham, Stouffville, Newmarket, Woodbridge, Vaughan and Geor-gina from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm. YMCA Before and Aftercare programs available at all locations.

Weekly Sessions July 4, 2017 to August 11, 2017 For registration information and to see what types of exciting programs are being offered this summer, please visit www.yrdsb.ca and select programs and services.

For additional information please email performanceplus.si@yrdsb.ca or call 905-884-2046 ext. 240.

Neighbourly Reminders

As the weather warms, and families walk to and from school, please be respectful of our neighbours by stay-ing on sidewalks and pathways. Please remind your children not to cut across personal property or jump on rocks or landscaping. It is also important for students to be reminded about carefully crossing streets. The roads are very busy and we want to ensure everyone is safe. Thank you for helping us to build positive com-

Summer Institute Site Address

Armadale S.I. 11 Coppard Ave., Markham

Crosby Heights S.I. 190 Neal Dr., Richmond Hill

Discovery S.I. (located at Teston Village P.S.) 80 Murray Farm Lane., Maple

Lakeside S.I. 213 Shorecrest Rd., Keswick

Lake Wilcox S.I. 80 Wildwood Ave., Richmond Hill

Maple Leaf S.I. (located at Glen Cedar P.S.) 915 Wayne Dr., Newmarket

Milliken Mills S.I. (located at Highgate P.S.) 35 Highgate Dr., Markham

Oscar Peterson S.I. 850 Hoover Park Dr., Stouffville

Sixteenth Avenue S.I. 400 Sixteenth Ave., Richmond Hill

Unionville Meadows S.I. 355 South Unionville Ave., Markham

Woodbridge S.I. 60 Burwick Ave., Woodbridge

Save the Date for Grade 8 Graduation!

June 21, 2017 More information to follow...

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Positive Climates for Learning

WOW!!! What a Wellness Week!!

Pierre Berton PS held its 4th annual Wellness Week from April 3-7th. We had the opportunity to listen to guest speakers

and participate in a wide variety of workshops and activities that focused on health living… mind, body and spirit. It was

a jam-packed week!

Some highlights were:

Errol Lee – We were entertained with a concert that focused on being a friend, a reflecting on our actions.

Dynamix Adventure Challenge: Teambuilding activities that focused on respect, cooperation, team spirt and HIGH

energy fun!

Laughter Wellness Workshop: A workshop based on Laughter Yoga Techniques and positive empowering methods. Students were engaged in a variety of workshops and presentations. Kindergarten: Seneca College students presented a series of workshops and activities on bullying, active living, growth mindset, self-regulation/yoga, social skills, and fitness Grades 1-2: Nutrition, dental hygiene, fitness, hip hop, art and technology. Grades 3-5: Mindfulness, yoga, nutrition, bike safety, hip hop, dental hygiene and technology. Grades 6-8: Mental health awareness, video gaming, dental hygiene, fitness, yoga, nutrition, art and technology. Family Night was a great evening for all. Parents participated in workshops with Dynamix, AIM Education and Triple P. Pierre Berton Public school would like to give a big Pantherific thank you to all of the community members who helped make our Wellness Week a huge success.

Canadian Mental Health Association Nina Gill Raymond Moore Seneca College Pearl Lee Stephani Ruiz Alyssa Tasiso Ioana Olteanu Karly Paquet Michelle Petricone Sara Mercer Laura Baum Jacqui Synder Sarah Mills Alessandra Carabetta Susy Moroniti Aaron Chocron Alexandra Hastings Sylvia Rocca Brenda Hillaby

Positive Climates for Learning Page 4

Way to go Panthers!

Congratulations to the Junior Girls and Junior Boys basketball teams. Both teams finished sec-ond overall in the area finals. The coaches are tremendously proud of all of the hard work the team put into practice! There were so many exciting moments and overall it was a very success-ful season for both teams. Great job Panthers!

Badminton

Badminton Season is underway! The teams participated in our Annual Pierre Berton Invitational and in the end they were all playing against each other in the finals!!! The team also travelled to Vellore Woods Public School to play some exhibition games and all teams were very successful. The squad is looking forward to their Area tournament on May 9th!! Go Panthers Go!!

Track and Field Grades 4-8

May 18th, 2017 (Rain Date May 19th)

Students and staff will be walking from Pierre Berton Public School to

Tommy Douglas Secondary School (some events will be held at Fossil Hill Public School)

Students should be sure to bring…

a backpack, lunch, plenty of snacks and a water bottle(s).

Remember to dress for the weather... Sunny: Hat, sunscreen, water bottle

Cold/Rainy: Raincoat/sweatshirt, track pants, umbrella, small towel

Talent Show!

Pierre Berton PS will be hosting a Talent Show on Tuesday, May 16th at 6:30pm. Please join us as some of our students demonstrate their talent. There will be many perfor-mances including; singing, dancing, piano, and more. We look forward to a fun evening!

Positive Climates for Learning Page 5

Light It Up Blue for Autism Awareness

World Autism Awareness Day highlights the importance for all of us to come together to raise awareness for Autism. On Monday, April 3, Pierre Berton celebrated with our Light It Up Blue Assembly. Each student created a unique button to show their sup-port and demonstrate how we are all unique individuals who stand together to support one another. We were fortunate to have many guests join us as partners in our school community to shine a light

on autism and help raise the flag!

Room 125 would like to thank each and every one of you for coming together to help raise aware-ness for Autism. We are extremely proud of the students in our class and grateful for the difference they make in our lives each and everyday. We would also like to thank TD Bank for their generous donation which will go towards supporting our Autism Community Class. Keep it up panthers!Together, we will continue to make a difference in our would!

Volunteer Appreciation Celebration

On Thursday May 11th we will be hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Celebration for all of the volunteers that have provided their time and support at Pierre Berton PS during the 2016/2017 school year. We look forward to honouring all of the wonder-ful volunteers that have supported the school and made so many things possible. From classroom assistance, pizza lunches, fundraising, field trips, Terry Fox run and more, there are so many areas where volunteers make the difference. Thank you to all who continue to support the Pierre Berton PS community and make a difference for the staff and students alike!

Positive Climates for Learning/Student Achievement

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Tech News! For the last few weeks, tech club has been further exploring coding online through the site code.org, and I have to say....we are hooked! At our last tech club meeting all junior and intermediate students were given a chance to explore some of the newly purchased robotic equipment, and the excitement and creativity that took place was amazing! Students loved trying to figure out how to make inanimate ob-jects come to life with Makey Makey or how to program Dash and Dot to move around the room. We saw problem solving skills and collaboration as they persevered to figure out how to use the Probot cars and get them to draw various lines on paper, and how to move the Bee Bots through a path they had created. We can't wait to host more Won-der Station opportunities to allow even more students to come play, explore and engage with 21 century learning.

Inspiring Your Child to Learn and Love Math

This is the fourth installment of PBPS’s “Math Session”. In February, we identified clear math milestones Kindergarten students should meet in the kindergarten program and strategies that parents can use to become partners in the math learning journey of their child. In this installment, we will be looking Math skills and processes children need to develop and how you can support your math learner at home. MATH SKILLS AND PROCESSES There are five main processes and skills that children need to do and develop in order to do math well. They are: Problem Solving: Children learn that there is more than one way to solve a problem. Reasoning and proving: Children develop their own mathematical strategies for solving problems by collaborating with others and explaining their thinking to each other, their teachers and their parents. Reflecting: Learning does not take place unless one reflects on his or her experiences. Children reflect and monitor their own think-ing to help clarify a problem. Selecting tools and strategies: In previous instalments we talked in depth about specific tools and strategies students need to develop. However, and just as important is a child’s ability to select appropriate learning strategies and tools to help solve a problem. Connecting: Ever heard a child ask “why do I need to learn this?” or “how is this going to help me in the real world?”. Well they can begin to see why and how by making connections between math and everyday life. Making connections makes what they’re learning relevant and engaging. SUPPORTING YOUR MATH LEARNER AT HOME You’re probably wondering what you can do to support your child at home. Here are three things to consider.

Establish homework routine. Show interest in your child’s learning. Find the math in everyday activities.

When your child sees that you are interested in what they are learning and that you are supporting them in their learn-ing, learning math suddenly seems that much easier.

School Council

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Pierre Berton School Council is hosting our 3rd

Family Fun Fair

and Basket Raffle

June 8th, 2017 5:00 - 8:00pm

Basket Raffle information and Fun Fair Food order forms

will be coming home this month!

We can’t wait to see you there!

—————————————————————————————————————— If you are interested in volunteering at our Fun Fair,

please fill in the survey at the following link to indicate your availability. Fun Fair Volunteer Survey

Or, fill in and return this slip by May 19, 2017. I can volunteer at the following times:

___ 4-5pm (Setup) ___ 5-6:30pm (Activity or Food Table) ___ 6:30-8pm (Activity or Food Table) ___ 8-9pm (Clean Up)

Volunteer’s Name: ___________________________ My Child’s name: ____________________________ Teacher: _________________ E-mail: ___________________________________ Phone Number: _____________

Save the date...

School Council/Parent Information

2016 –2017 Pierre Berton School Council

Co-Chairs

Rajesh Dhoum Nina Gill

Parent Members Hem Bhatt

Annarita DiStefano Charmaine Forde

Ravikanth Gullapalli Samuel Iannucci

Opi Marok Mario Meffe

Mona Nouroozifar Tharshini Sriskandarajah

Vino Vijayaratram

Teaching Staff Jacqueline Stone

Administration

Wendy McVicar-Lew Jennifer May

The Pierre Berton School Council met April 24, 2017. Highlights from the meeting included: Fun Fair planning update Presentation from X Movement Review of Wellness Week and discussion regard-

ing possibilities for next year Discussion regarding mental health and the in-

creased use of technology and social media by children

Parent symposium feedback School Council budget review Fundraising Ideas for next year

Next School Council Meeting: Monday, May 29th, 2017

7pm Learning Commons

YRDSB Survey for Parents/Guardians

Parents/guardians are invited to participate in a survey before May 19. This survey provides an important op-portunity for parent/guardian voice. Results will be used to guide planning to support student achievement and well-being. The English version of the survey is available online. Paper surveys are available in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Farsi, Gujarati, Hebrew, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Sri Lankan Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese. Please contact the school to request a paper copy. We value your input and encourage you to complete the survey. The information you provide will be anony-mous, considered confidential and kept in strict accordance with all relevant legislation. Please contact the school if you have any questions. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The English version of the survey is available online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/yrdsb2017ParentSurvey.

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