Trustee Greetings

December 2015 – Trustee Greetings for School Newsletters and School Websites

Message From Our Trustee

It is that time of year when our schools brim with energy and excitement for the many diverse celebrations taking place across our region. I am always happy to join the festivities happening in our schools and appreciate the efforts of our students, staff and community members to bring the holiday season alive.

As we wind down 2015, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our parents and guardians for their support of our students and staff over the past few months. A school community is only as strong and welcoming as the people who make up that community. Our students, staff and community members have continued to demonstrate respect, character and commitment in their work and interactions over the last few months. As a trustee, I consider myself very fortunate to work with such supportive community and staff members.

On behalf of all of the trustees and staff of the York Region District School Board, I would like to wish you and your families a very happy holiday season.

All the best for 2016!

From the Pine Grove Learning Commons...

Engaging Readers With eBooks

EBooks are electronic books that can be used on hand-held learning devices, personal computers, laptops, and even mobile phones. Similarly to traditional paper books, writing and illustration are key to a book’s success with a child but the difference between the two formats is that while the traditional option is linear – i.e., a story that follows from one page to the next – eBooks have depth; readers can jump between chapters and, if connected to wireless internet, can explore topics further on the internet. The ability to whizz around an eBook instantly makes it a more interactive experience, showing different dimensions to reading.  When children begin to use and interact with eBooks independently, the possibilities of learning in the digital age become apparent.

New technology has an ever increasing presence in the lives of 21^st century students.  Our students are engaged in technology and enjoy learning using the “digital” format.  In order for students to be engaged in their learning, we attempt to ensure that our learning materials reflect students’ interests for learning.

We encourage the Pine Grove community to explore our set of eBooks for our students by following these instructions:

1.     Access our account by typing the following link into your browser:
               http://my.abdodigital.com/

2.     When asked for the username and password please use the following:                 username: pgebooks

          password: pglibrary

Online Databases Are Waiting for You to and Explore!

Wonderful news! Pine Grove students have access to online databases!  Students can access these amazing resources from home or school.  Links to the various databases have been added to our school’s website.  Placing these links on our school website ensures that students can access information anytime, anywhere.  Students can find these resources by accessing our school’s library page through the following link:  http://pinegrove.ps.yrdsb.ca/ .  Please check your child’s agenda for the passwords to our school’s databases or contact Mrs. Meleca.   

We Are Still Looking for Library Volunteers

Are you interested in volunteering in our school library?

We are still looking for some volunteers who can help us at Pine Grove by signing books in and out, shelving and preparing new books for circulation as the need arises.  Training will be provided and volunteers are a great help and addition to our school community! 

Please contact Mrs. Meleca at (905) 850–0672 Ext. 127 if you are interested.

Progress Reports and Information

Dear parents and guardians,

I am writing to update you on important information as our school returns to normal working conditions following the recent job action.

Elementary Progress Reports

Our teachers are currently completing the fall progress report for students in Grades 1-8. As referenced in the Director of Education’s letter on November 3, 2015, these reports will be distributed in our school on December 11, 2015.  If your child’s teacher has concerns with your child’s progress, she/he will contact you to set up a meeting. If you have questions about your child’s progress and a meeting has not been set up, please speak with your child’s teacher. Please note that because progress is tracked differently, reports are not being completed for distribution to students in Junior or Senior Kindergarten.

Parent Teacher Interviews

These meetings will be initiated by your child’s teacher where there are concerns regarding student progress and may occur on the evening of Thursday, November 26, 2015 or during the day on Friday, November 27, 2015. Teachers remain committed to ongoing communication with parents regarding student progress.

Kindergarten Progress

Your child’s teacher will initiate a meeting with you if there are concerns regarding progress. As always, if you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher directly.

Individual Education Plans

If your child has an individual education plan (IEP), you will receive an updated copy during the next reporting cycle in January. If you recently had an individual placement and review committee meeting, your child’s IEP will be provided to you prior to January. Please contact your child’s special education resource teacher (SERT) if you have any questions.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our parent community for your ongoing commitment to Pine Grove Public School and for your patience through the recent labour situation.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Greg Brown

Principal

Free Learning Opportunity for Students Grade 5 to 8

There is a free program at the library called, “Introduction to Programming in Python” that is being taught by Andrew Guo. This program  began last March focusing on educating students in the Vaughan area aged 10-13 about computer programming; assuming students have had no prior experience programming before.

For more information and registration please click the link below:

http://www.vaughanpl.info/programs/view/2072

Pine Grove Public School Food and Toy Drive

From Nov 9^th to Dec 11^th Pine Grove Public School will be conducting our annual Food and Toy Drive to help support the Vaughan Food Bank. Please have your child place their contributions in the large bins located in the front hallway. Some items needed by the food bank are:

·       Canned food items such as soups, fruit, vegetables, juices, pasta sauces, etc…

·       Cereals hot & cold, biscuits, crackers, cookies, cake mixes, pancake mixes, etc…

·       Toiletry items such as hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, razors, hair shampoos

·       Paper towels, hair creams, cosmetics, etc…

·       Kraft dinners and all types of pasta

·       Glass items such as pickles, sauces, jams, relishes, salad dressings, etc…

·       Baby diapers, sizes 3 to 6

On behalf of the Free the Children Committee, we would like to thank Pine Grove families for being global citizens by helping others in your community!

Gr. 8 Information Evening at Woodbridge College

November 6, 2014

Dear Parents/Guardians and Grade 8 Students:

The administration and staff of Woodbridge College would like to invite you to attend an information night for you and your grade 8 student in preparation for their transition to high school:

GRADE 8 INFORMATION EVENING

COURSE SELECTION AND REGISTRATION FOR GRADE 9

Thursday, November 19, 2015

7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria at Woodbridge College

We recognize that for most students and their families, the anticipation of starting high school can be exciting and stressful at the same time.  We would like to ensure that you and your child are fully informed in order to make the best possible decisions.  The evening will consist of a presentation that will cover the following topics:

·       High School Diploma (OSSD) Requirements

·       Types of Courses – Academic, Applied, Open

·       Course Selection & Registration process

·       School Uniform

After the presentation you will have the opportunity to

·       Tour of the school during which you will meet teachers and students to learn about each department, see samples of student work and class demonstrations

·       Speak with teachers for more detailed information about specific courses

·       Ask questions about academic and extra-curricular activities

           

We sincerely hope that you and your grade 8 student will be able to attend the information night on Thursday, November 19, 2015.  

We look forward to meeting you,

Antonietta Grieco

Vice Principal on behalf of the Woodbridge College Administration

Administrators Message

The end of September marked a busy time here at Pine Grove P.S. with a reorganization that included students from grades 1 to 8. Since then, our teachers have been focussing on and working hard with their existing and new students to get them into routines of the classroom. Teachers have used diagnostic data to identify student learning needs in both Literacy and Mathematics. Regular curricula programming is continuing in our classrooms.

Now that a tentative agreement is in place for both ETFO and CUPE we look forward to continue our professional learning and work together taking the necessary steps to work on our School Improvement Plan (SIP). We also look forward to seeing extracurricular activities resume as they typically do in our school.

With access to the Internet and social media there appears to be a rising need for students to understand boundaries around Internet use. If you haven't had the opportunity to sit with your children and discuss appropriate internet use, including social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, to name a few, we recommend that you check out the website www.snstips.com for information and resources for parents around safe chatting, privacy of posting digital media online or how to lock down your cell phone. 

This year we are continuing to work on developing Positive Climates 4 Learning (PC4L) and our grade 8 students are involved in a Leadership team.  As part of our focus on equity and inclusivity, our grade 8 students have had the opportunity to show leadership around the school through various activities such as: organizing a Terry Fox run assembly to create awareness about cancer fundraising and are currently working on the upcoming Remembrance Day assembly to celebrate those that made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our freedom we hold so dear today. They will also be arranging and participating in building Pine Grove school spirit through school wide activities, i.e., school spirit days, anti-bullying awareness week activities, to make each and every one of our students feel welcome and safe each and every day.

Did you know that lates and absences are a major contributor to poor student achievement and poor behaviour?  Our Board data is telling us that when a child misses 10 days they fall behind other students in the class. If we hope to achieve high academic standards parents need to make sure that ALL students are at school regularly and on time.

Just a friendly reminder to those parents and community members that wish to join us, School Council will be meeting on Tuesday November 17 at 7 pm in the library. See you there!                                      

Greg Brown

Principal                                                           

Allerject Recall

As some of you have already heard, Sanofi has announced a recall of Allerject. Details of the recall are available here:  http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2015/55620a-eng.php.

Information from the Health Canada website:

Products affected

1. Allerject Pre-filled Autoinjector (DIN02382059 – 0.15mg/0.15mL epinephrine).
2. Allerject Pre-filled Autoinjector (DIN02382067 – 0.3mg/0.3mL epinephrine).

What parents should do

• Contact your pharmacy to arrange returning your Allerject device and to obtain a replacement epinephrine auto-injector with the same dose.
• Consult your pharmacist to ensure you understand how to properly use the replacement auto-injector.
• In the event a life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) occurs before you can obtain a replacement auto injector, use your Allerject device as directed by your healthcare provider, and then seek emergency medical attention.
• Speak with your healthcare professional if you are concerned about your health or your child’s health.
• Report any adverse events to Health Canada.

Thank you