Newsletter May 2015 - James Strath Public School

James Strath Public School News
Focus on Success
May 4, 2015
1175 Brealey Drive
Peterborough, K9J 6X4
Phone: 705-742-8090
Fax: 705-742-4575
Principal: Elaine Flett-Hurst
Email: elaine_fletthurst@kprdsb.ca
Vice-Principal: Julie Gray
Email: julie_gray@kprdsb.ca
School Council Chair: Jesica Butler
Email: jesbutler1@hotmail.com
Superintendent of Student Achievement: Peter Mangold
Email: peter_mangold@kprdsb.ca
Phone: 705-742-9773 Ext. 2014
Trustees : Rose Kitney & Wayne Bonner
Email: rose_kitney@kprdsb.ca Phone: 743-1762
Email: wayne_bonner@kprdsb.ca Phone: 933-8350
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE…
VICE PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE…
During this first week of May, students at James Strath
will be participating in events that promote positive
mental health in recognition of Mental Health Week.
It is lovely to see the warmer weather! More students are
walking to school, or riding bikes, scooters and
skateboards. Please keep an extra eye out for students
who may be focused on their play and not
on safety. Students are urged to remember
their safety rules and watch out for cars,
motorcycles and other cyclists. They must
walk their bike, scooter or skateboard as
soon as they are on school property.
On Monday, May 5th, the entire student body will be in the
gym during Period 3 to join together for our Music
Monday celebration.
Tuesday, May 6th will include Jr/Int.students participating
in the school Track and Field Meet.
Wednesday activities are yoga sessions and intramurals
during the breaks, along with puppetry and dramatic play
presentations.
Thursday will provide students with the opportunity to
work in the school gardens.
Our week ends with a Technology Free Day on Friday
with a challenge to all staff, students and community
members.
As a component of our emergency preparedness
protocols, we will be completing fire drills to meet the
mandate of 6 drills per year. Teaching staff will be
reviewing the procedures with students.
Elaine Flett-Hurst
JAMES STRATH’S EARTH DAY
Our Earth Day Clean-up was most
successful on the 22nd of April. Thank
you to the students, parents,
community members and staff who
supported our clean-up. A special
thank you to the Otonabee
Conservation Authority for providing
gloves, bags and for picking up at the
end of the day.
The warmer weather makes us want to stay cool. We
remind all students of our school dress code—
‘Clothing should cover the torso from shoulders to
mid-thigh. Shoulder straps should be ‘two fingers’
wide and slogans and drawings must be appropriate
for a school setting. Short lengths
must be at mid-thigh.’
We are looking forward to seeing
everyone at our Family Fun Night on
May 19th. Watch for information and
food order forms that have come
home.
Julie Gray
GRADE 8 GRADUATION CEREMONY
Our graduation ceremony will take place on Tuesday
June 23rd at The Calvary Church on Lansdowne Street
West. Please be sure that you set this date
aside if you have a student graduating this
year. An information letter was distributed to
grade 8 students in April and formal invitations
with guest tickets will be distributed later this month.
SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
STRATH GYMNASTICS CLUB
It's hard to believe that it is already May and that means
it's time for our annual community event at James Strath!
Our Family Fun Night will be held on May 19th from 57pm. It will be a rain or shine event and this year we
welcome "Zoo to You" as our entertainment. There will
also be face painting, dance and yoga demonstrations
and activities and of course our fantastic drum line!
Please note that you MUST PREORDER food. We will
not be able to have extra meals available since we are
having pizza.
Council would like to thank everyone for supporting the
recent Kernels fundraiser which raised money to support
our school nutrition program. You all helped to make it a
huge success!
Please also note that our Staff Appreciation Lunch will be
held on June 5th to say thank you to the wonderful
people that provide our children with such a positive
learning environment. If you are able to donate a lunch
item or dessert please drop it off at the school on the
Thursday afternoon or first thing Friday morning on June
5th.
Thank you for your support!
On April 23rd, the James Strath Gymnastics team
competed at the KPRDSB Elementary Gymnastics Meet.
Nineteen schools and over 500 athletes took part. Both
boys and girls, a total of 70 Strathletes participated in
floor routine and team dance. Students were adjudicated
and achieved a platinum, diamond or gold award. A big
thank you to Rachael Froggatt, a grade 7 student at our
school, for choreographing both our dances. It was a
fantastic day. The Strathletes should be very proud of
their efforts.
STRATH GOES TO THE PETERBOROUGH
SCIENCE FAIR
On April 8th, a number of
intermediate students competed at
the Peterborough Regional Science
Fair. The students displayed
excellent manners and made
strong impressions with the judges,
students from other schools, and
the public, as they presented their projects.
Congratulations to all participants for representing Strath
with such distinction. Participants placed well in all
categories.
Physical & Mathematical Sciences:
3rd – Daniel Ahn & Yoon Hong
2nd – Annie Robertson
1st – Robert Shaver
Health & Life Sciences:
3rd – Peter Dykstra
1st – James Bona-Landry & Dhruv Pathak
Computing & Engineering Sciences:
Honourable mention: Matthew McMaster
1st – Aiden Stever
Special Winners:
Minute Maid Award –Caitlin Wilson ($50 Best Buy gift card)
UOIT Innovation Award – Robert Shaver ($100)
Strath won for the most awards in the Grade 7/8 division.
A spectacular showing was made by Robert Shaver who
was selected as one of three students from the fair who
will attend the Canada Wide Science Fair this month in
New Brunswick!
STRATH PLAYS FLOOR HOCKEY
James Strath hosted a floor hockey tournament for junior
grades 4-6 on April 16th and 17th. Both the boys' and
girls' represented James Strath well by demonstrating
great skills and team spirit. Thank you to the Grade 6's
for running a canteen on both days and to our
Intermediate students who refereed the tournaments. Fun
was had by all!
MENTALLY HEALTHY SCHOOLS UPDATE
At James Strath Public School we are celebrating Mental
Health Week, May 3-9, 2015. Mental Health is an
important focus at Kawartha Pine Ridge District School
Board. All schools will be displaying our new “Taking
Care of Our Mental Health” posters that were created
using tips sent in from students, parents and staff. We all
need to take care of our mental health. Here are some of
the great ideas we are sharing this week:
1. Exercise
2. Play or listen to music
3. Paint, write, draw
4. Do yoga, relaxation and deep breathing exercises
5. Laugh - especially while playing with your children
6. Show kindness
7. Think positively
8. Stay connected to family and friends
9. Spend time with your pets
10. Know where to go and reach out for help if needed
For more information visit http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca
OUR SCHOOL PARKING LOTS AND
DRIVEWAY
We continue to remind parents/guardians
not to park and leave their vehicle, at any
time, in the “Fire Lane” at the front of the
school. Your compliance with this Fire
Department law is required. The fire lane
extends from the right hand entry off of
Brealey to the exit at Brealey and Hewitt. Thank you.
ONLINE SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS &
GUARDIANS
Most children and teens today rely on their mobile phone
as their main source of communication. They text, surf
and upload pictures to social networking sites. Talk to
your child about these mobile phone safety tips:
 Make sure the phone has a strong password and
activate other security features before your child
uses it.
 Remind your children to think before they text.
Messages can be misinterpreted and forwarded.
 Their mobile number should only be given out to
people they know. Likewise, they should know
not to share anyone else's number without
permission.
 Tell your children to ignore messages from
people they don't recognize.
 Be firm about the risks of meeting face-to-face
with someone they met through text messaging.
Ask that they tell you if they're going to do this,
and where they plan to meet.
 Learn how to turn off geotagging on your child's
phone so that photos don't reveal their location.
 Make sure you know how to block others from
calling your child's phone.
 Make sure your child or teen leaves out critical
personal information such as date of birth, full
name, social insurance number or address when
creating their profile on social networking sites
such as Facebook.
 Protect your child's account profile with the
highest and most restrictive security setting.
 Scan your child's profile page frequently and ask
yourself, "Can a sexual predator benefit from this
information?"
 Check privacy settings periodically as updates to
the site may include default settings that allow
access to your child's profile page.
 Be aware of what your child does online. Do
everything you can to keep strangers away and
offer guidance to your child on how to be safe
online.
For additional tips, visit the doorthatsnotlocked.ca or
getcybersafe.gc.ca
EQAO- SPRING 2015
The administration of the EQAO
Primary and Junior provincial
assessment is scheduled during
the time frame from May 25 to
June 4. Grade 6 students will be completing the Junior
assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics from
May 25 to May 28. Grade 3 students will be completing
the Primary assessment from June 1 to June 4.
Parents of students in those grades will receive
notification and information relating to specific scheduling
at the end of April.
SCHOOL YEARBOOKS
Again this year, James Strath P.S. will have a Yearbook
for sale at $20.00 per book
(Special Immediate Family rate –
3 or more Yearbooks $50.00).
Order forms are due back to the
school office by Friday May
22nd. Yearbooks will be available
for pick-up near the end of June.
CURRENT STUDENT
INFORMATION
It is imperative that the school always has current student
information for both attendance and safety reasons.
Please notify the office should you have any address,
phone, or emergency contact information changes.
JAMES STRATH ALLY SQUAD
The James Strath Ally Squad has been very busy in the
past few months. These students in Grade 7 and 8 get
together once a week to talk about equity and diversity in
our community and how we can make this a safe space
for all.
Ten of our members had the opportunity to pilot a project
in February at the KPR Board Office. They got together
with 20 other students from other schools to examine and
discuss equity issues. They brought some workshop
ideas back to Strath and have been running them with
the Ally Squad.
Most recently, the Ally Squad has designed a sign for a
gender-neutral washroom that is next to the office.
Inspired by President Obama’s work in creating genderneutral spaces at the White House, we have made sure
that such a space is available in our school as well.
We are looking forward to a couple more months of
keeping the conversations going about equity, diversity
and acceptance!
JAMES STRATH TALENT SHOW
The annual James Strath talent show will be held on
Wednesday, May 20. There will be two performances
during the day - one at 10:45 and the other at 1:00.
Members of the Strath school community are welcome to
attend!
The James Strath Drum Line 2014/15!
On the Road…
Our drum line has been attending many venues around
the community including Westmount PS Pedal for Hope,
Community Care Marathon at Trent University, Pedal for
Hope at the Airport, and Peterborough Cares (Wal-Mart).
JAMES STRATH ROBOTICS TEAM
The James Strath Robotics teams participated in the
Kiwanis Robotics Competition on Saturday April 25th. The
teams worked very hard over the past three months to
build and program their robots. Mr McKinley thanks the
team for all of their efforts to prepare for the competition.
It was great to see them showing such wonderful
collaboration and creative problem solving. The teams
represented Strath very well in both maze and Sumo
competitions. The boys’ team (Matt McMaster, Robert
Shaver, Peter Dykstra, Aiden Stever and Tyler Maybury)
came first overall in both competitions. Special
recognition goes to the girls’ team (Kiara Dervishi, Nora
Edrees, Joleen Shedden, Anna Deleenheer, and Kyla
Healey) for beating the boys in their round robin match!
REMEMBER
James Strath is a
Peanut/Nut/Latex Safe School
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Now is the time to register your
child if he or she is going to start
kindergarten in the fall. You may
register your child for Junior
Kindergarten if your child will be
four years old by Dec. 31, 2014
or five years old for senior kindergarten as of Dec. 31,
2014. Registration forms are available at the school
office.
CELL PHONES AT SCHOOL
Please be reminded that if cell phones are brought to
school the expectation is that they stay in lockers for the
duration of the school day unless teachers allow students
to use them during instructional time for educational
purposes. Students will not be able to receive texts until
2:35 p.m. The Student Handbook at the front of the
agenda contains the complete cell phone policy.
Reminders
The following are a few reminders for parents, guardians
and community members:
 We ask that students and family members walk
their bikes on school property and bring a lock to
keep their bike safe while it is at school. The
school will not be responsible for lost or stolen
items. Helmets should be worn.
 Skateboards and Scooters need to be carried on
school property and can be placed in lockers.
Helmets should be worn.
 Dogs are not allowed on school property during
school hours (unless they
are a working dog). We
have children that have
allergies and also many
are quite afraid of dogs.
 Parking at our school can
be very difficult. We recommend walking if at all
possible and remind you to be mindful of our no
parking areas.
Lost and Found
The Lost and Found bin fills up readily with hoodies,
shoes, tops, pants, etc. Every six weeks or so it is set out
on tables for a week so students can take a look and
claim their items. Announcements are made to remind
students to walk past and pick up their lost articles. The
remaining items are bagged and donated to a local
charity.
is engaging and helps students become more confident
in their mathematical abilities. Working collaboratively to
solve problems, students share their ideas and articulate
their understandings, developing their communication
skills along the way. Authentic, “real life” problem solving
tasks allow students to make connections between
mathematics and situations outside the classroom.
PARENTS SUPPORTING MATH #3
Much has changed in the teaching and learning of
mathematics in recent years. While comfort with math
procedures and quick recall of facts are still valued,
increased emphasis is being placed on helping students
acquire “conceptual understanding” of mathematics. This
means that students will understand why a particular
procedure works and can determine what mathematics is
needed to solve a problem in a ‘real life’ situation.
Research has found that students learn best through
math activities that encourage them to explore and share
their varied strategies and possible solutions to
meaningful and relevant problem situations. Students
learn from each other when they share their ideas and
justify their thinking. The teacher spends time developing
the “rich” mathematics tasks that allow for the student
learning to unfold. By asking questions that prompt
thinking and require students to explain their ideas, the
teacher supports students with developing their
understanding of important math concepts.
As parents, you may be aware that the Ontario
Mathematics Curriculum outlines expectations at each
grade level in terms of both math content (topics) and
math process (how we ‘do’ the math) expectations.
Students at all grade levels are expected to learn and
apply these processes as they work to achieve the math
content expectations. It is these process expectations
that students are engaged in when they work at “rich”
mathematics tasks. The process expectations include:
As parents, you can help your child to develop these
process skills by looking for the mathematics in everyday
tasks and thinking about the questions you might ask to
get your child to think ‘mathematically’. Real life problem
solving situations occur all of the time, so engage your
child in helping to find solutions. For example:

Invite your child to help in the kitchen. Ask
him/her to determine, for example, the number of
batches of muffins that can be made from 3 cups
of milk, if each batch requires


Ask them to create different seating
arrangements to accommodate a large number of
guests for a family function. What table
arrangements are possible? Which works best in
the space available and with the number of
guests invited?
When doing crafts or building projects with your
child, have them measure materials. Determine
for example, how many

Problem Solving
Reasoning and Proving
Connecting
Communicating
Reflecting
Representing
Selecting Tools and Computational Strategies

The math tasks and learning opportunities that students
are engaged in allow them to develop and demonstrate
these processes. In our classrooms, problem solving
activities are a regular part of the
mathematics we “do”. Students
work in small groups, partners
and/or independently, tackling
multi-step problems that often
have more than one correct
solution. Teaching and learning through problem solving

of a cup of milk.
metre sections of board
can be cut from a 7 and a half metre board to be
used to build picture frames. How many pieces
can be cut and how many picture frames can be
built?
Sports statistics provide many opportunities for
math thinking and are often of interest to children.
For example, encourage your child to find and
compare the goals-against-average for their
favourite goalies, or the best combined score in
figure skating competitions.
Clothes shopping or packing also might provide
opportunities for thinking mathematically. For
example, given 3 shirts, 2 pants, 1 pair of shorts,
and 3 pairs of shoes, how many different outfit
combinations can be made?
When shopping with your child, have them use
estimation to determine the approximate bill total;
calculate sales tax, change, discounts (20% off
sale); determine the best deal by comparing
prices; finding the cost of items when the posted
price is for multiple quantities of an item (e.g.lemons 3 for $1; How much for 1? for 5?)
It is important to ask your child how they solved each
problem and have them explain how they know the
solution makes sense. Your child’s strategies may be
different than yours, but equally reasonable, therefore, be
sure to listen carefully and honour the math thinking that
your child has engaged in. Keep in mind that there is
usually more than one way to solve a problem and that
the way we, as parents, were taught in school, while
correct is not the only way and/or necessarily the way
that makes sense to our children. Your child’s
explanation of a strategy used to solve a problem and
why it works (or didn’t) can reveal a great deal about their
understanding of math concepts. Finally, by modelling an
interest in mathematics and demonstrating how it is an
important part of everyday life, you can support your
“budding mathematicians”. Most importantly, it will help
your child to develop a positive attitude towards math and
recognize it as an important life skill.
Further Information
If you would like to learn more about the Math Process
expectations, go
to:http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/m
ath18curr.pdf ; pages 11-17
If you would like more suggestions as to how you can
support your child in applying mathematics to ‘real-life’
situations, go to:
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/parents/learn/math.p
df for Helping Your Child Learn Math: A Parent’s Guide
published by the Ontario Ministry of Education containing
simple activities that you can do with your child to explore
math at home. Suitable for students in Grades K-3.
http://www.dpcdsb.org/NR/rdonlyres/A7A4FB06-07124476-AEEF-28597E1E01A2/93811/ParentGuideNum.pdf
for Helping Your Child to do Math: A Guide for Parents
also published by the Ontario Ministry of Education
include tips as well as practical activities that can be used
at home and in your local community. Suitable for
students in Grades K-6.
The following websites provide math activities and games
for children to try at home. It is always suggested that
parents preview sites for appropriate materials for their
child.
http://www.tvokids.com/
www.kidsites.com/sites-edu/math.htm
http://cemc2.math.uwaterloo.ca/mathfrog/
www.kids.gov/k_science.htm
www.brainpop.com/math/seeall/
http://mathforum.org/library/
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html
Did You Know? - Great Websites





http://cpf.ca/en/resources/cpfpamphlets/allophone-engagement-pamphlets/ -information in 11 languages about French
immersion programs
http://tvoparents.tvo.org/special/homework -- how
to help your children with homework
https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org/ -- help with math
homework for grade 7-10 students
http://www.newyouth.ca/ -- information about
school, work, health, law and daily life. This
website is for secondary students who are new to
Canada.
http://www.settlement.org/sys/library_detail.asp?k
=ELEMSEC_SUCCEED&doc_id=1004928 -videos in 17 languages about how newcomer
students can succeed in school
IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS
Lunch Lady© - Every Wednesday in May
May 1st – Volunteer Appreciation Tea
May 3rd – 9th – Children’s Mental Health
Week
May 4th - Music Monday Assembly – May
4
May 5th - Track & Field Day (Junior/Intermediate
students)
May 6th – Track & Field rain date
May 8th – Food Orders for Family Fun Night due
May12th – Pita Pit lunch (for those who ordered)
May 18th – Victoria Day (no school)
May 19th – Strath Family Fun Night
May 20th – Talent Show (10:45 & 1:00)
May 22nd – Yearbook orders due
May 22nd – Pizza lunch (for those who ordered)
May 25-28th – Grade 6 EQAO
June 1 – 4th – Grade 3 EQAO
June 5th – PA Day
MAY DIVERSITY DATES
Asian Heritage Month and South Asian Heritage Month
(Ontario)
April 21-May 2 – Ridván (Bahá’i)
May 3 – World Press Freedom Day (UN), Good Friday
(Orthodox)
May 5 – South Asian Arrival Day (ON), Easter (Orthodox)
May 4-8 – Education Week (ON)
May 15 – International Day of Families (UN)
May 17 – Int’l Day Against Homophobia
May 17-18 – Hiawatha Pow Wow
May 18 – Victoria Day
May 19-22 – Aboriginal Awareness Week
May 21 - World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue
and Development (UN)
May 22 – International Day for Biological Diversity (UN)
May 23 – Declaration of the Báb (Bahá’i)
May 24 – Pentecost (Christian)
May 25 – Africa Day, Wesak/Buddha Day (Buddhist)
May 29 – Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’i)
May 31-June 6 – National Accessibility Awareness Week