CONFEDERATION CENTRAL P.S. JUNE 2009 NEWSLETTER
Mrs. D. Kirkland Principal School Phone: (519) 383-7004 Mrs. A. Clubb Secretary School Fax: (519) 383-7005
CONFEDERATION CELEBRATIONS…..
• • • • • • • • After much planning and hard work, EQAO assessments finish this week! Thanks to all involved and those who offered support of this important curriculum audit!! 87 % of students grades 1-8 have increased their reading scores over the course of this school year!! We are so very proud of Miss Heaman and her team of recorder players. They won two first place trophies during the Lambton Music Festival!! A successful round of hip hop lessons has occurred for all students grades JK-8. Thanks to Ms. Drimmie, instructor Kelly Van Gaver and assistants Jessika Kiernan and Lauren Krieg!! Mrs. Bird will embark upon a school mural inviting graduating grade 8’s to leave something for us to remember them by! Thanks to Mrs. Bird for organizing this opportunity!! Thanks to Mrs. Lindemann and a team of grade 6 students, our Jump Rope for Heart event was a huge success! Thank you all for supporting this Heart & Stroke fundraising campaign. We are most thankful for a generous donation from ENBRIDGE Ltd. We will be the lucky recipient of a new SMARTBOARD and a multi-media projector for our library!! Congratulations to Mr. White on his wedding plans this summer!
HEALTH & SAFETY
Thank you for ensuring that your child is properly attired for school according to our dress code. We encourage the use of sunscreen. Please be aware of the impact of perfumes and body sprays. Some are offensive and distracting to others. Aerosol cans (e.g., AXE deodorant) are not permitted at the school due to the risk of explosion. New No Smoking signage will soon be mounted on the exterior walls of our school. This is in response to legislation prohibiting smoking on LKDSB property and in cars where children under 16 are riding.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT EQAO
We wish to thank the many parents of students in grades 3 and 6 who expressed interest in EQAO assessments and ensured that appointments did not interfere with this testing. Your help made this testing period much easier to manage! EQAO testing ends on June 4, 2009. Marking will take place over the summer and individual student reports as well as a school audit should be available for parents and staff in September.
Monthly Focus
Each month this year, we focused on a social skill for discussion in all of our classes JK-8. Our monthly targets were: • Responsibility • Respect/courtesy • Loyalty • Caring/compassion • Perseverance/diligence • Tolerance/patience • Honesty/fairness • Team work/cooperation • Self esteem/pride • Courage In June we will focus on courage as it pertains to achieving goals. We will celebrate achievements and a year of hard work!!
Summer School
Applications for students in grades 7 and 8 are available from the school office. This service is offered free of charge by the Lambton Kent DSB. The registration deadline is June 22. Students have the option of registering for one, two or three weeks. Week 1—Learning skills and study habits Week 2—Mathematics (Number Sense, Measurement, Patterning & Algebra,) and Language (reading strategies) Week 3—Language (reading strategies, writing & oral language) and Mathematics (Number Sense, Measurement, Patterning & Algebra, Data Management, Geometry)
Summer Reading Loss
Summer reading loss refers to the decline in children’s reading development that can occur during summer vacation times when children are away from the classroom and not participating in formal literacy programs. Researchers have uncovered evidence to suggest that the impact of summer reading loss is significant. What can be done to curb summer reading loss? The value placed on literacy in the home, time spent reading with children, and the availability and use of reading materials are key elements in children’s reading success. Please help your child to maintain the momentum gained at school by reading together over the summer.
Premier Suites at Home
The password and login for this program is: Login: lkdsb Password: enable Please see attached for more information regarding this free software that assists students with writing, word processing and spelling.
New School Year Calendar
Trustees approved the calendar for the 2009/2010 School Year at the Board Meeting on March 31, 2009. The calendar complies with Ministry of Education requirements and includes a minimum of 194 school days, made up of 188 instructional days and a maximum of 6 professional activity days. Establishing the 2009-2010 School Year Calendar, posed a unique challenge as there are not 194 possible school days between the day after Labour Day and the last day of June, the traditional school calendar. This year, the school year will begin prior to Labour Day on Tuesday, September 1, 2009. Professional Activity Days are scheduled for September 25, October 23, November 13, 2009, February 1, May 7 and June 28, 2010. Also to be implemented starting September 1, 2009, is a 5 day rotation. At school we will organize timetabling by numbers instead of days (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). Parents of students in grades 1-8 will notice subtle differences (e.g., library visits will occur on a rotating number instead of a specific day of the week). Parents of Kindergarten students will notice a significant difference to our traditional organization and should use the calendar attached when making child care arrangements. Kindergarten students attend school either or days. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED CALENDAR.
Grade 8 Graduation Celebrations
Parents should have received specific details regarding June 22, 2009. The Front St. Legion Hall’s capacity allows for each graduate to invite 6 guests. Our graduation committee is working hard to ensure that our grade 8’s have a graduation and yearbook that they’ll never forget!!
Staffing
Congratulations to Mlle Johnston who has gained a full-time position at Sir John Moore P.S. next year. Her replacement for primary French is not known at this time. Bonne chance, Mademoiselle! Mrs. T. Griffin is currently our grade 3/4 teacher filling in for Mrs. Duckert who is on leave to the secondary panel. Mrs. Duckert will continue her leave through the 2009-2010 school year however, it is uncertain at this time who her replacement for next year will be.
Excellence in Sports
Thanks to our coaches, students and parents for supporting golf, badminton, track & field and two-pitch teams. We wish much success to our athletes competing in the month of June. Golf team = Mr. White, Kyle Jackson, Luke Van Reenen, Adam Waller, Ryleigh Taylor. The track & field meet will be held on June 9 (raindate is June 10). Junior two-pitch tournaments will be held on June 16 (raindate June 18) and intermediate two-pitch tournaments will be held on June 17 (raindate June 19).
School Council and Parent Support Group
Much appreciation is extended to: Mrs. Moore, Mr. Campbell, Mrs. Cornell, Mrs. Gark, Mrs. Griepentrog, Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Leivo, Mrs. Shortt, Mrs. McAuley, Mrs. Storr, Mrs. Wilhelm, Mrs. Ouellet-Spence and Mrs. Sparks. Words cannot express the gratitude we feel to those named above and to our classroom volunteers. Mrs. Lutz, Mrs. Gark and Mrs. Cressman who have given hours every week for the benefit of our students. Thank you all for the differences you make at Confed! If you have ideas for school improvement that you would like the School Council to research and/or respond to, please do not hesitate to contact the school office or members listed above. School Council information is available on our website: www.confederation.lkdsb.net
Community Partnerships
ENBRIDGE Ltd has very generously donated $3500.00 to Confederation Central. This will cover the cost of a new high-tech SMARTBOARD, a multi-media projector and installation. This equipment will benefit all students by being mounted in our library. We are very grateful for this donation as we forge forward in offering our students the latest technological learning opportunities!! Pathways Health Centre provides pre-school speech and language checks/programs in Sarnia called Sound Start. If you would like more information about Sound Start, please call the school office for a brochure or visit www.soundstart.org.
A significant amount of time and energy is expended in order to organize classes. Each year, parents ask how this is done. Once the number of teachers has been allocated to the school and the number of students determined, the organization process begins. Several important factors are considered: 1. Balance: Research has demonstrated that heterogeneous groupings, where students of varied academic abilities work together, provide the best learning opportunities for all involved. Each class is balanced in terms of strengths, needs and gender. No classes are “streamed” according to ability levels. 2. Learning and Teaching Styles: Children learn in a variety of ways compatible with the way they make sense of their work. Teachers teach in the ways in which they learn best. To match learning style with teaching style is a challenge. Often this may be a point for discussion between a parent and a teacher in terms of how a child’s needs are best met. 3. Maturity and Work Habits: Some children need structure with specific procedures in place (e.g., being held accountable for homework). Other children need greater flexibility and less specificity (e.g., those who independently honour school rules). A student’s ability to exercise self-discipline is a factor in organizing classes. 4. Peer Relationships and Group Dynamics: No one wants to feel alone or left out. On the other hand, sometimes being with friends is not a productive experience that enhances learning. What individuals could best come together as a group to create a productive and positive learning environment? Who needs a new situation to extend themselves and grow in social relationships? We attempt to answer these questions as we construct a particular class. 5. Ministry Mandated Class Sizes: The Ministry of Education established caps on grades JK-3 class sizes in September 2007. Classes may not exceed 20 students in these grades. The district cap size for junior and intermediate classes is 25 students (based on Board average). 6. Number of Years With The Same Teacher: It is our belief that a variety of teachers is beneficial to students as they proceed through their elementary years. Every attempt possible is made to ensure that students are not placed with teachers for more than two consecutive years. When possible, tentative class lists are created through the input of both the sending and receiving teachers. Teachers are very careful to consider each child’s strengths, needs and interests. “Combined” classes are evident most years along with some “straight” grades. Parents may feel that “straight” grades are better than “combined” grades, however, all classes are in effect “combined” in the sense that they are all comprised of a variety of ability levels. If you have special concerns related to placement that directly relate to the needs of your child, please discuss these with Mrs. Kirkland.