December newsletter

Pine Grove Newsletter: December 2014

86 Gamble St.Woodbridge, ON  L4L 1R2 Tel: 905-850-067 Fax: 905-850-3869  Website: www.pinegrove.ps.yrdsb.ca

Principal: Mr. B. Fisher    Vice Principal: Ms. A. Loopstra

Superintendent: Mr. C. LaTouche 905-764-6830 

Trustee:  Mrs. A. DeBartolo  905-898-9653

Congratulations to our re-elected trustee and chair of the YRDSB, Anna DeBartolo!

Pine Grove has a New Blog!

At a recent Digital Leadership conference hosted by YRDSB, we had the opportunity to learn more about blogging as an effective way to keep families and community abreast of activities, events, and initiatives that are happening at Pine Grove P.S.    

Please visit our blog site at    http://pinegrovepublicschool.blogspot.ca/

You can subscribe to email and this blog will notify you when a new post has been added.   

You will notice that this month the Newsletter has a new, simpler format.  This is to facilitate a move towards using our blog to share information.  For the month of December we will post the Newsletter on the website as per usual practice, but we will also post on our blog! 

In January, we will use the blog as a way to share information.  Please check for school information updates, photos, and stories about past events and activities. 

You can subscribe via email to get notification if a new post has been added.

Upcoming Dates

December 3^rd       

·         You’re the Chef

·         Girls Volleyball Tournament

·         Lights Out Wednesday

December 4^th       

·         Boys Volleyball Tournament

                  

December 5^th       

·         You’re the Chef

December 10^th     

·         You’re the Chef

·         Quebec City parent info night (grade 8)

December 12^th     

·         You’re the Chef

December 17^th     

·         K-4 Awards Ceremony (1:10pm)

December 22^nd     

·         Start of winter break

January 5^th

·         School Starts Again

·         School Council Meeting: 7:00pm 

January 16^th        

·         PA Day.  No School

WINTER WEATHER

All students are required to go outside twice a day. Please make sure your child comes to school dressed appropriately to go outdoors. All students should have an outdoor pair of shoes or boots, as well as an indoor pair of shoes to wear in the classroom and for physical education. Children go outside for all recesses unless the weather does not permit it. Students who are ILL SHOULD NOT COME TO SCHOOL until completely recovered as indoor supervision is NOT provided during recess.

WITH THE WET AND MUDDY WEATHER AHEAD OF US, PLEASE SEND EXTRA CLOTHING LIKE SOCKS AND PANTS TO BE KEPT AT SCHOOL. IT WOULD HELP REDUCE THE CALLS MADE TO PARENTS ASKING TO COME IN WITH DRY CLOTHES.       

REMEMBRANCE DAY ASSEMBLY 

We would like to thank all of the teachers and students who contributed to a wonderful Remembrance Day assembly. It was filled with poems, presentations, dance and music from the choir and band.

Kindergarten Registration to Commence

Kindergarten registration will commence on January 16, 2015 for the 2015-16 school year. Registration forms are available on YRDSB’s website: www.yrdsb.ca. Children who turn four or five years old during 2015, live within the school boundary and whose parents are public school tax supporters will be eligible to register for kindergarten. A kindergarten information session for parents is being planned for this spring. For more information please visit the YRDSB website or contact your local school.

Please contact Mrs. Skoko and/or Mrs. Kahr in the Main Office at Pine Grove Public School for further

Information regarding Kindergarten Registration for the upcoming 2015/2016 school year. 

French Immersion Information Sessions and Registrations

Information sessions for the French Immersion (FI) program will take place at Elders Mills P.S. on January 15, 2015 at 7 p.m. FI registration will begin January 16, 2015. In order to streamline the registration process, parents or guardians of Senior Kindergarten students entering Grade 1 in 2015, and wishing to enroll in the FI Program, can visit or call the school office and request an Office Index Card - short version. The Office Index Card must be signed by the principal of the home school. Parents or guardians then take this form, along with one piece of identification showing their address to Elders Mills P.S.to register between January 16 and February 13, 2015. This eliminates the need to provide duplicate enrollment information or to pre-register.

YRDSB’s FI Accommodation Plan provides long-term consistency and equity of access to all students in York Region and will enable YRDSB to continue to offer the FI program to all who wish to enroll. The FI program will be offered in Dual Track or Single Track settings, in a variety of configurations. In order to meet community needs and optimize available space in our schools, a community's Grade 1-8 FI program may be provided over more than one school during the course of a student's FI education. This will allow flexibility in addressing community needs and the opportunity to use existing space in schools. More information is available on the Board’s website: www.yrdsb.ca. Please note: Some of the FI accommodation plans will require facility modifications or the development of new schools and will require short-term transition plans that might include overflow while we work toward the long-term vision. Overflow refers to situations in which the Board directs students to attend a school other than their community school or optional program for a specific period of time, as defined in Policy #108.

Pick Up and Drop Off Times

A reminder that supervision in the yard beings at 8:10am.  Please do not leave your child unattended in the yard before this time.  Also, students cannot wait in the school halls.  The bell rings promptly at 8:25 and students are expected to be ready to enter the building at this point.  If you are dropping off your child at exactly 8:25 or later there is a chance he/she will be marked late.  Children coming into the building after 8:25 need to report to the office for a late slip. 

At the end of the day, the bell rings at 2:45pm.  Students are expected to be on the bus, walk home or be picked up at this point.  Students are not allowed to wait in the school for a parent to come get them later in the afternoon.  We make exceptions for emergency situations and would expect telephone communication with the office staff to make for a one-time arrangement. 

Eco Schools Initiative

Pine Grove PS will be starting a new Eco initiative and we need your help! As a school we will be collecting clean milk bags throughout the month of December in order to send them to be crocheted into mats and delivered to Haiti.

Milk bags are not bio-degradable and are very durable for use. Outer printed milk bags can be crocheted into sleeping mats used by people which otherwise do not have beds.  This initiative also helps our community and environment by keeping the bags out of our landfills.

Students are encouraged to bring in clean milk bags during the month of December. The class with the most bags will win hot chocolate delivered to the classroom! We look forward to contributing to this great cause as a school.  Your effort and co-operation are always appreciated.

Thanks.

-          The Eco Club

Healthy Schools Update

Heart Healthy Presentation:

In November the FDK and SK/Grade 1 classes were involved in a program presented by the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The purpose of the presentation was to promote daily physical activity and healthy eating habits. Our young students learned the importance of being active at recess times and choosing snacks that are healthy for their minds and bodies. It is well known that health, well-being and learning are all connected!

Healthy Snacks and Lunches:

Your child’s school lunches and snacks are what will give them the energy and nutrients that they will need to learn and play during the school day. Remember to think of the food groups and try to have at least three of the four food groups when packing your child’s lunch.

Our school’s healthy snack program offers students healthy and fresh choices that are always changing. Fresh fruit, vegetables and grains are distributed to classrooms so that students, staff and visitors have healthy options in case they need a pick-me up during the school day! Please help yourself to a healthy snack the next time you visit our office.

SPOONS AND FORKS

Please remember to pack a spoon and fork as needed.  We have many children coming to the office asking for cutlery and simply don't have enough items to give out!  We do not purchase plastic cutlery for students as per our eco-schools initiative.  Have your child bring one from home.