May 2015 Newsletter - Forest Hill Public School

FOREST HILL P.S.
Deb Russell
Principal
16 Doran Road
Mary Katherine Murphy
Midhurst, ON L0L 1X0
Vice-Principal
Safe Arrival 705-721-8300 Ext. 1
School Website: http://for.scdsb.on.ca
BUS CANCELLATION/SCHOOL
CLOSURE: CENTRAL SIMCOE
IMPORTANT MAY DATES
3rd – 9th – Children’s Mental Health Week
6th – Jr. Boys & Girls Basketball Zones Tournament
6th – Mother’s Day Open House – 2:00 to 3:00 pm
Browning/Bates/Rooney & Shanahan/McCabe
7th – Gr. 7 & 8 – Career Fair
7th – Gr. 1 – Highlands Nordic
8th – Gr. 4 – Tiffin Centre
12th – Gr. 6 – Elmvale District High School
- KIDS Program Graduation
th
13 – Gr. 7 & 8 - MADD Presentation
13th – Gr. 7/8 Gauss Math Comp. 9 @ Eastview
14th – Gr. 3 – Simcoe County Museum
14th – Student Helpers to Bowlerama – 12:30 – 3:00
14th – County Rugby Tournament
15th – Global Action White Elephant Sale
15th – Leadership Assembly/Spirit Day
Respect & Responsibility/Twin Day
18th – Victoria Day (no school)
20th – Bike Safety Assemblies
21st – Volunteer Tea – 2:30 – Library
21st – Forest Hill Antique Show
25th – Gr. 2 – Highlands Nordic
25th – 27th – EQAO Testing Gr. 3
27th – School Track & Field Day
28th – Midhurst Mile – 5:00 p.m.
st
1 –3
rd
Some June Dates
EQAO Testing Gr. 6
1st - 3rd – Ms. O’Hallarn’s class Camp Kandalore
2nd - 4th – Gr. 8 Ottawa Trip
5th – P.A. Day
16th – Gr. 6 – Science Centre
22nd - Grade 8 Graduation 6:00 p.m.
23rd – Browning/Bates/Rooney’s Kgn. – End of Year
Celebration – 2:00
24th – Maughan/ Gartner/Hill’s Kgn. – End of Year
Celebration – 2:00
25th – Last day of school
MAY 2015
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE!
Dear Volunteers,
Without you, Forest Hill wouldn’t be
the special school that it is, we value your
dedication, support and assistance. I know
your time is valuable and your willingness to
contribute some of that valuable time to us
shows your commitment to the well-being of
our students. You truly make a difference in
our students’ educational experience and the
efforts of volunteers like you are a vital part
of our school community. On behalf of the
staff and students here at Forest Hill, I want
to personally invite you to the Volunteer Tea
on May 21st at 2:30 in the library. I look
forward to seeing you there.
OFFICE UPDATE
Our office clerk, Lori Jankowski, has had an
accident and is in hospital. It is unlikely she
will return to school by the end of this school
year. Anyone who would like to drop off a
card can do so at the school office. Linda
Kauer is filling-in until Lori’s return and can
be reached at lkauer@scdsb.on.ca
VOLUNTEER TEA
At Forest Hill we warmly
welcome our parents and
parent volunteers. We
value and appreciate your
continued and close partnership with the
school. The strength of Forest Hill continues
to be its people, our students, our staff, our
parents, and our volunteers. Each plays a role
that is uniquely important. Each makes a
positive difference for our students. We
thank you and we hope you know how
important you are to a school we are all very
proud of. We do hope you will attend our
Volunteer Tea on Thursday, May 21st at 2:30
in the Library. Please RSVP Linda Kauer at
lkauer@scdsb.on.ca
HELP PREPARE YOUR CHILD
TO WRITE THE EQAO TESTS
Students in elementary and
secondary schools across
Ontario write provincial
assessments in reading,
writing and mathematics each year. The
assessments are developed and scored by the
Education Quality and Accountability Office
(EQAO). Each student that completes a
provincial assessment receives an Individual
Student Report (ISR) which describes the
student's achievement. School and board
achievement data is used to improve teaching
practices and to support student learning.
This year’s EQAO testing for Grade 3
students is from May 25th to 27th (make-up
dates 28th & 29th) , and Grade 6 students
takes place from June 1st to 3rd (make-up date
4th). It would be appreciated if parents could
avoid withdrawing students from school (e.g.
medical appointments, music etc.) during this
time. Thank you for your understanding.
Further information about the provincial
assessments, including resources to help
prepare your child for the test, can be found
at www.eqao.com.
Kindergarten Entrance 2015
Senior Kindergarten students are
to begin school on Tuesday,
September 8th, 2015 and will
attend continuously from this
time. All Junior Kindergarten
students are to begin school on
Thursday, September 10th, 2015.
“Welcome to Kindergarten”
Do you have a child entering kindergarten in
September 2015? If so, you and your child are
invited to join us on Thursday, June 11th from
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. for an engaging
introduction to the “world of kindergarten”.
During the Welcome to Kindergarten evening,
families will be introduced to the current
kindergarten team, administration, and various
community supports. Families will also have the
opportunity to visit the classrooms, while
participating in various learning centers that will
set the stage for a smooth transition to school
for students and parents alike. All junior
kindergartens will receive a bag of fun,
interactive learning activities to take home with
them. Watch the mail for your “official”
invitation. Please RSVP to Linda in the office
for an attendance count at lkauer@scdsb.on.ca
or at 705-721-8300. We look forward to
meeting our new families!
MOTHER’S DAY TEA PARTY
Mother's Day Celebration in Mrs.
Shanahan/McCabe's kindergarten class, as
well as Mrs. Browning/Bates/Rooney’s class on
May 6th at 2pm.
MISS MAUGHAN’S KINDIES
Miss Maughan/Gartner/Hill’s Kindergarten
class is having a “Minute to Win It” games day
on May 29th from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Parents are
welcome.
Midhurst Mile Family Fun Run/Walk
Thursday, May 28th, 2015
Keep your calendar open for
the Midhurst Mile Thursday, May 28th at 5:00
p.m. This is a school-wide
family event and we extend
an invitation to our
community and friends!!
The Midhurst Mile is a terrific event with a
number of different ZONES! The first event
is a one-mile fun walk/run followed by a bike
rodeo (with certificates!!), a Wee Wild Ones
Zone, an Obstacle course for young riders, a
Scooter Zone** and a full-on FUN ZONE**
for the more experienced riders. Vendors
provide bike checks and prizes!! We will have
food available for your dinner, and yummy
BeaverTails for dessert. Chill out with a
Wendy's "FROSTY".
The Springwater Firefighters Association
always show up in full force with their trucks,
and the OPP assist with escorts for the run.
This is a total neighbourhood event - we use a
one-mile route(Doran/Belmont/Vernar/Doran)
we use the track, the tarmac, the basketball
court surface and all the open spaces at
Forest Hill - RAIN or SHINE!!
While there is NO FEE to enter any of the
events, donations are GLADLY accepted and
will be used to help fund our new water
bottle filling station. Last year we raised in
excess of $2,500. Forest Hill Spiritwear will
be available for sale during the event.
Our partners include: BeaverTails, MEC,
Hardwood Hills, Bikeland, Cycle Simcoe and
many more!!
So come out and join us on May 28th at 5:00
p.m. - the Mile Run will start at 5:45 p.m.
**Riders entering the Scooter Zone or the
Fun Zone must have their parent/guardian
sign a waiver - wrist bands will be in
effect! Waivers will be sent home with the
“food order” forms in the next few weeks.
YOGA MATS NEEDED
We are looking for approximately 35 YOGA
mats to use in the Phys. Ed program next
year. If you have any you no longer use we
would appreciate any donations! Please
contact Mrs. Blue or the office if you can
donate a mat(s) for September! Thanks for
your support.
FOREST HILL YEARBOOKS
The Forest Hill Yearbook is looking for
sponsors. If you would like to place an
advertisement in our 2014/15 yearbook please
submit requests to Mrs. Clements at the
school. The cost for a business card sized ad
is $25. Final day for advertising submissions
is Friday May 8, 2015.
Any students who missed ordering a yearbook
may submit late orders until Friday May 1,
2015.
GLOBAL ACTION UPDATE
White Elephant Sale
Doing a little spring cleaning and
have no idea where to put all
those gently used toys, games,
puzzles, books? The Forest Hill
Global Action Team will be
holding a White Elephant Sale on Friday, May
15th during the first block of the day. Items
will be displayed in the hall outside each class,
and students with money will be invited to
“shop” throughout the halls of the school! All
items will be on sale for $1.00 or $2.00 with
proceeds going to our Global Action partner
organization Elephant Thoughts to support
our initiatives in Bungkulung, India.
Items can be sent to your child’s teacher any
time, but no later than Thursday, May 14th, so
they can be priced and readied for sale. Any
items not sold will be returned to the
students who originally donated them. Please
do not donate stuffed animals/dolls as we are
unable to sell them due to health and safety
reasons. Thank you for your ongoing support
of our Global Action initiatives at Forest Hill!
Easter Food Drive
Our Forest Hill community once
again donated generously to the
Easter Food Drive at the Elmvale
and Barrie Food Banks. With many
thanks, again, to the generosity of
our community, Forest Hill collected 1,384
items to help support our local food banks.
Way to go, Forest Hill!! The three winning
classes with the most items were:
1st Place – Mrs. Johnson’s Grade 2 Class
2nd Place – Mr. Schreck’s Grade 2 Class
Canadian National Math League Competition
Results are in for Forest Hill’s Grade 4 & 5
Canadian National Math League Competition!
The contest requires tremendous accuracy,
great depth of mathematical knowledge and
extremely effective problem-solving skills.
Congratulations to the following top finishers:
Grade 4 - 1st Place – Mira R.
2nd Place – Josh V.
3rd Place – Margot S. & Ava W.
Grade 5 - 1st Place – Kaecy E.
2nd Place – Jalen S. & Sydney M.
FOREST HILL CHESS CLUB UPDATE
Another chess season has come to an end at
Forest Hill, with a wonderfully enthusiastic
group of participants from Grades 3-8
improving their strategies and check-mating
skills!
In March and April, Mrs. McColm took teams
to the County Chess Tournament and the
Optimists’ Provincial Chess Qualifier, and very
honourable mentions go to the following
players:
County Tournament:
3rd Place Medal – Lucas R. (Grade 4 Boys)
Provincial Qualifier:
2nd Place – Lucas R. (Grade 4)
- Will L. (Grade 5)
- Ryan K. (Grade 7)
1st Place (and moving on to the Ontario
Provincial Chess Challenge): Owen L. (Grade 6)
INTERMEDIATE MATH OLYMPIAD
On April 10th, Mrs. McColm and eight of
Forest Hill’s brilliant Intermediate
math minds headed to the Education Centre
to compete against 23 other elementary
schools from across the Board in a mentally
challenging and mathematically puzzling math
competition known as the Math Olympiad. Our
mathletes represented Forest Hill with great
teamwork and sportsmanship, and are to be
congratulated for their critical thinking and
problem-solving skills. Way to go:
Avery L.
Raeann B.
Cooper M.
Maddy V.
Vincent R.
Elsa S.
Ryan K.
Reagan M.
RUBIK’S CUBE CLUB
The Rubik's Cube Club will be coming to an
end. Thank you to all members who have come
weekly to learn (and teach others) how to
solve the classic 3 x 3 cube.
To celebrate our accomplishments, we will be
hosting a Forest Hill Rubik's Cube
Competition. The official "playoff round" will
begin on May 6th, and continue every week
until a champion is determined. Any questions
about the Rubik's Cube Competition can be
directed to Mme. Bock.
PARENT COUNCIL
The next Parent Council meeting will be Mon.
May 4th at 7:00 p.m. There will be a guest
speaker from Eastview Secondary School for
any Gr. 8 parents interested. All are
welcome.
FUNDRAISING
SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR
Mrs. Desormeaux would like to thank all the
Forest Hill families who purchased from our
latest Scholastic Book Fair. It was another
great success thanks to your great shopping!
Thanks so much to our parent volunteers who
came to sell and make sure we left with great
books to read! We have many new books to
use in the library because all book fair
proceeds are used to buy new resources.
BIG BOX OF CARDS FUNDRAISER
Congratulations Forest Hill Students!
The Big Box Card Fundraising
program has been our largest
fundraiser this year! We
raised $13,600 for our
school! What started out as
a trial of a new idea has
become a great substitute for Zehrs tapes.
Special thanks to the fundraising team,
volunteers and our secretary, Donna Downey,
who worked tirelessly to put it all together.
Mrs. Desormeaux and Mrs. Morrow, from our
Green Team, would like to thank all those who
contributed to the fundraiser. We are so
fortunate to have so many volunteers who are
willing to give their time. Half of funds raised
go to library and half to green projects
including the refillable water bottle station.
APPEBEE’S FUNDRAISER
The Gr. 8 classes hosted a Flapjack
Fundraiser on Sat. March 28th at Applebee’s
Restaurant on Bayfield Street. Students
worked alongside staff serving pancakes to
over 145 patrons. Over a 3 hour period, in
excess of $2,000.00 was raised and will be
used to assist the Gr. 8’s with their upcoming
Graduation Festivities. Special thanks to
Applebee’s Day Manager Bernadine Quigley
and all the staff.
GARDENERS WANTED!
A big thank you to Mrs.
Walters for donating the
pansies and her time to make
the Forest Hill school gardens
once again look bloomin'
beautiful! Another big thank you to Sue and
Peter Leon who cleaned up, weeded and
turned the Pink Tulip Garden in front of the
office window.
If you have a ‘green thumb’ and are able to
help us out with the care and maintenance of
our gardens over the summer months, please
contact Mrs. Breg at the school.
EDUCATION WEEK
CELEBRATING PUBLIC EDUCATION
Education Week, May 4th to 8th, is a provincewide celebration of student achievement and
excellence in education. It is an opportunity
to recognize the work and accomplishments of
Ontario’s publicly-funded schools. Many
schools host special events during Education
Week.
CIRCLE OF LEARNING PARENT
ACADEMY
- Free workshop May 13 on resilience –The
final Circle of Learning Parent Academy event
for this school year, Resilience: Nine things
kids need from their families, schools, and
communities, takes place May 13. Find the
workshop locations, times and descriptions on
the SCDSB website:
www.scdsb.on.ca/circleoflearning. You can also
register at this link.
MENTAL HEALTH CORNER
Children’s Mental Health Week
Children’s Mental
Health Week is May 3rd
to 9th. One in five
Ontario children and
youth struggle with
mental health concerns
- that's about 500,000 kids. Children's
mental health week is about promoting
positive mental health, increasing the
awareness of signs related to child and youth
struggling with mental health problems,
decreasing stigma and understanding how to
access community supports that are available
to improve well-being. For more information,
visit http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca.
INFORMATION NIGHT
FOR NEWCOMERS TO CANADA
Have you recently arrived to Canada? Do you
have children attending elementary or high
school? The Simcoe County District School
Board’s Newcomer Welcome Centre is hosting an
information night for parents who are new to
Canada to assist them in navigating the Ontario
education system and supporting their child in
school. The information evening takes place on
May 29th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Barrie Learning
Centre (located in the Bayfield Mall, 320
Bayfield St. in Barrie). For more information
about the Newcomer Welcome Centre, visit
http://www.thelearningcentres.com/learningcentres-programs/newcomer-welcome-centre or
call 705-725-8360 x45151.
PARENTS: BOOST YOUR
UNDERSTANDING OF HIGH SCHOOL
Starting high school is a big deal for
students, and for parents. Parent involvement
is still important at high school. Students
need their parents to transition to a
mentorship role. Simcoe County District
School Board high schools are full of caring
adults who, like you, want the best for your
child. We want to partner with you to help
your child find their pathway to happiness and
success. Find out more about high school at
www.scdsb.on.ca/highschool. There you’ll
find a copy of A Parent’s Guide to High
School. You’ll also find links to information
about the various programs and courses
students have access to at SCDSB high
schools.
WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE OUR
KIDS SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION
Dr. Bruce Ferguson will focus on how the
community, school and family can work
together to support children as they develop
and grow into healthy citizens. Dr. Ferguson
is a Senior Consultant and the founding
Director of the Community Health Systems
Resource Group at The Hospital for Sick
Children.
It is free to all parents in Simcoe County on
May 7 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Liberty North in
Barrie (100 Caplan Ave.). Simultaneous
language interpretation services will be
available for those who request it.
Registration is available at:
www.smcdsb.on.ca/families/parent_workshop.
SUMMER SCHOOL
AND SPECIALIZED SUMMER CO-OP
Registration is now open for
the Simcoe County District
School Board’s 2015 summer
school courses. This year, the eLearning
summer options have been expanded to
include Grade 10 Civics and Careers, Grade 12
English, Grade 12 Chemistry and Families in
Canada. Also offered is the opportunity for
students to travel and earn credits with the
summer EduTravel program or to experience
camp at the YMCA's Geneva Park location
while earning leadership credits. Summer
school program details and locations can be
found at The Learning Centres website:
www.thelearningcentres.com. Online
registration for current SCDSB students is
available through the student portal.
EYE SEE EYE LEARN PROGRAM
FOR CHILDREN ENTERING
JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN
The Eye See…Eye Learn program provides
comprehensive eye exams by local
optometrists to Junior Kindergarten
students. The eye exams are covered under
the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP)
when parents show their child’s health card.
There is no out-of-pocket cost for the eye
exam and if the child requires a pair of
glasses, they will receive them free of
charge. The Eye See…Eye Learn program was
developed to raise awareness among parents
about the importance of having their
children’s eyes checked upon starting school.
The Ontario Association of Optometrists
recognizes the important link between eye
health and learning, and recommends
comprehensive eye examinations for all
children entering kindergarten. All children
can receive an annual comprehensive eye exam
covered by OHIP until their twentieth
birthday. The new program for children born
in 2011 will begin on July 1, 2015. For further
information and a list of participating
optometrists in your area, visit:
www.eyeseeeyelearn.ca.
MESSAGE FROM LOCAL HEALTH UNIT:
PREVENT MOSQUITO & TICK BITES
West Nile virus is spread to humans by the
bite of an infected mosquito. Lyme disease is
an infection caused by a bacteria spread by
the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. It’s
important you and your family take
precautions to reduce the chances of being
bitten by a mosquito or a tick. For more
information visit the Simcoe Muskoka District
Health Unit’s website at
www.simcoemuskokahealth.org
MIDHURST SPORTS & COMMUNITY
CENTRE
The Recreation Services Board of Midhurst is
asking for the community’s support regarding
a new project. It wants to build a new
covered pavilion with a playing surface at
Doran Park. The 85 ’x 200’ surface will allow
lacrosse, volleyball, basketball and a picnic
area in nice weather, and an ice surface in the
winter.
Organizers invite all residents of Springwater
to a meeting on Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 at
the Midhurst Community Centre at 74 Doran
Road from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Volunteers are
needed for this project.