Principal: Mrs. K. Diiorio
Vice-Principal: Mr. M. McLean
Administrative Assistant: Mrs. P. Nardangeli
DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD OF NIAGARA
June 2016
The Connaught Chronicle 100 YEARS OF LEARNING AND GROWING TOGETHER!
Connaught Teaching Staff
2016/2017 School Year
Kindergarten 1—Mrs. Otta, Mrs. Larcombe
Kindergarten 2—Mr. Devlin, Mrs. Enns
Grade 1—Mrs. Palmerino
Grade 1/2—Mr. Belliveau
Grade 2/3—Mrs. Ravazzolo
Grade 3/4—Mr. Masterson
Grade 4/5—Mr. French
Grade 6/7—Mrs. Dixon
Grade 7/8—Mrs. Bowman
Grade 8—Mrs. Atack
Rotary—Mrs. Zimmerman
FSL /Library—Mrs. Michel
LRT—Mrs. Campbell-High
ESL—Mrs. Turner/Mrs. Bowman
Early Intervention—Mrs. M. Dixon
VP/Rotary—Mr. McLean
Principal—Mrs. Diiorio
28 Prince Street
St. Catharines, Ontario
L2R 3X7
905-682-6609
http://connaught.dsbn.org
@ConnaughtDSBN
Congratulations
Miss Watson!
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Miss
Watson on the announcement of her retirement!
We are so lucky that Miss Watson has chosen to
teach at Connaught for many of her years in edu-
cation, and we know that she has touched the
lives of many of our students.
We wish her the very best as she looks forward
to her many plans for retirement! We will all miss
her very much! Thank you for your dedication to the students at
Conaught!
Staffing for the
2016/2017 School Year
At this time of year, we often have very mixed emotions as staffing
changes are made within our building and throughout the school board.
While staffing has not been completely determined, we do know of a
few changes that are coming our way.
We would like to wish Mr. Horton all the very best as he has accepted a
position at Lockview School in the primary division. We know that Mr.
Horton has been a very well-respected teacher at Connaught for many
years, and we wish him the very best at his new school!
In addition, we will be saying good-bye to Mrs. Janzen. She has
accepted a teaching position at Port Weller School in St. Catharines.
We will definitely miss you and wish you well!
We would like to welcome Mrs. Ravazzolo and Mr. Belliveau to our pri-
mary division. Students will be very familiar with Mrs. Ravazzolo al-
ready as she has had the role of our Instructional Coach this year. Mr.
Belliveau is coming to us from School Support Services where he is
currently a Curriculum Consultant. I am certain the entire community
will give our newest staff a very warm welcome in September!
Although staffing is still not entirely
completed, currently we have a tenta-
tive plan for next year. Please note that
this plan may be adjusted based on
enrolment and staffing changes.
P A G E 2
Congratulations to our May
winners of the YOU ARE
AWESOME! awards for the
character trait of Optimism:
Gr. 1: Tyler, Davey, Isabelle
Gr. 1/2: Sammi, Ocean
Gr. 2/3: Allysha, William
Gr. 3/4: Edi, Carlos, Timmy
Gr. 4/5: Mohamed, Isaac
Gr. 6: Edin, Tonnie
Gr. 7: Brooke, William
Gr. 7/8: Mariah, Sarah
FSL: Laura, Tyler W.
T H E C O N N A U G H T C H R O N I C L E
May
Celebration
AssembLy
Cooperation IS JUne’S THEME
Our final character trait of the year
is Cooperation. Every parent loves
to see their child cooperating with
others, it is a valuable life skill. It's
never too late to begin teaching kids
how to get along. Parents who
teach their kids cooperation are giv-
ing them fundamental skills that will
affect their progress in school and
life. You can encourage your child
to be a cooperative person by mod-
elling great cooperation skills your-
self. Show your child that you:
* don't leave people out. Everyone
has something valuable to offer,
and nobody likes being left out.
* listen carefully to others to be sure
you understand what they are say-
ing.
* share with others; take turns when
more than one person wants to do
the same thing.
* compromise when you can't
agree.
* always help people do their best.
* work together, because it's a lot
more fun when you do!
“If you want to make peace with
your enemy, you have to work with
your enemy. Then he becomes your
partner.”
Nelson Mandela, activist, South
African president, Nobel Peace
Prize
“If everyone helps to hold up the
sky, then one person does not be-
come tired.”
Dr. Askhari Johnson Hodari, poet,
author
“The more we get together,
Together, together,
The more we get together,
The happier we'll be.”
Raffi, Children's Musician, author,
essayist, lecturer
Congratulations to our May winners of the Super-
Dedicated Dreambox User Award!
Super-Dedicated Dreambox User Award
Gr. 1: Colton Gr. 1/2: Erica, Kyla
Gr. 2/3: Jeremiah, Safwan Gr. 3/4: Owen, Devin, Megan
Gr. 4/5: Yizhen Gr. 6: Linda
Gr. 7: Minami, Damien Gr. 7/8: Joe, Laura
P A G E 3 T H E C O N N A U G H T C H R O N I C L E
SC H O O L CO U N C I L NE W S
L I T T L E C A E S A R ’ S F U N D R A I S E R
Congratulations to the top sellers of the Little
Caesar’s fundraising event.
1st place—Lylah Fitzpatrick
2nd place—Wesley Benedict
3rd place—Zach Couture, Emma Bennett
Thank you for your continued support!
T H A N K Y O U F R O M T H E
S T A F F A N D S T U D E N T S !
As this year draws to a close, the staff and
students at Connaught would like to take
this opportunity to thank the hard-working
members of our School Council for their
support!
In the last month of school, funds raised by
this small but mighty group of dedicated
folks will go toward defraying the costs of
year end trips, events and also in providing
the graduation meal to our grade 8s.
Thank you to the following dedicated
members:
Mrs. J. Benedict Mrs. A. Campeau
Mrs. M. Lewis Mrs. S. Mitchell
Miss M. Smith
EE C OC O -- TT E A ME A M NN E W SE W S
It has been another great „green‟ year at Con-naught! Highlights of the 2015-2016 school year include: ACER joined us in the fall to measure the growth of our plantings from 2013. We participated in many environmental activi-ties throughout the year including Earth Hour, World Water day, Sweater day, trivia contests, weekly litterless lunches, and school ground clean ups. Students took part in several environmental themed field trips and presentations as well, in-cluding a trip to the new Walker Living Campus, the Recycling Plant, and Planet in Focus docu-mentaries. Our Outdoor classroom has provided a great place to learn, read, draw, and hang out in the shade.
A huge thank you to all of the grade 4/5 stu-dents who made up the ECO Team this year. Every Tuesday, rain, shine or snow, they have collected, carried and organized the recycling for the entire school. Their dedication to keep-ing Connaught „green‟ is greatly appreciated. Thank you ECO Team!
In addition, the ECO Team has worked towards
our sixth consecutive Gold level Ontario Eco-
Schools award. To become certified, our school
had to demonstrate achievement in 4 key ar-
eas: energy conservation, waste minimization,
ecological literacy and school ground greening
for shade and energy conservation.
Student representatives celebrated our suc-
cesses this year at the DSBN ECO Summit in
May. We look forward to many new 'green'
achievements next year.
We are pleased to offer SUMMER HEAT, a primary Summer Learning Program, again this year.
The program will run from Monday, July 11th to Friday, July 29th for students entering JK to
grade 4 in the fall of 2016.
Kindergarten Kick Start is for students entering junior and senior kindergarten in the fall, while Funshine Kids
is for students entering grades 1, 2, 3 and 4.
This three week program is entirely FREE, but space is limited so please be sure to register early. Daily lessons
at all sites will incorporate FNMI perspectives and teachings. The program will begin at 8:15 a.m. with break-
fast provided, and it will end at 12:15 p.m. Students will be involved in a variety of learning opportunities
throughout the morning, with a focus on literacy, numeracy and active living.
We are excited about being able to offer this amazing program to our families. Check it out on the DSBN
website at www.dsbn.org/summerheat where you can register now. Hurry now! Spots are filling up fast!
Summer HEAT will be offered at the following sites: St. Catharines - Edith Cavell, Connaught, Lincoln Centennial, Harriet Tubman (FNMI site) Welland - Diamond Trial, Princess Elizabeth (FNMI site) Beamsville - Senator Gibson Niagara Falls - Simcoe Street, Valley Way (FNMI site) Port Colborne - De Witt Carter Fort Erie Area - Crystal Beach, Peace Bridge (FNMI site) NEW site: Thorold - Prince of Wales
P A G E 4 T H E C O N N A U G H T C H R O N I C L E
LOOKING FOR SUMMERTIME IDEAS? LOOK NO FURTHER!
S U M M E R H . E . A . T.
Additional Suggestions for Summer Fun?
Fairview Lanes Kids Bowl Free program:
http://fairviewlanes.ca/
St. Catharines Museum Summer Events:
http://www.stcatharines.ca/en/experiencein/MuseumEvents.asp
St. Catharines Public Library:
http://www.stcatharines.library.on.ca/
Outdoor Pools and Splash Pads:
http://niagarafamilies.com/outdoor-pool-splash-pad-openings-niagara-2016/
St. Catharines Public Swimming Times:
http://niagarafamilies.com/family-resources/public-swimming-times-2/
Additional Ideas:
http://niagarafamilies.com/
P A G E 5
H e r i t a g e F a i r W i n n e r s !
Congratulations goes to Grade 8 student Marianne Vongboutdy for being awarded the Canadian Arts and Culture Award at the DSBN Regional Heritage Fair. She competed alongside 80 other students from schools in the DSBN, and her presentation on Buffy Sainte Marie won her the prestigious award!
Congratulations also goes to Violet Alligood who also got to complete at the DSBN Regional Heritage Fair with her Under-ground Railroad project. Well done girls - we are so proud of your hard work and courage, especially talking to many judges and members of the public on Heritage Fair Day!
Canadian Arts and Culture – “In recognition of out-standing achievement in presenting a topic related to the
Congratulations to our junior chefs who ‘graduated’ from
the You’re The Chef program at Connaught:
Rebecca K Summer G. Aiden C.
Hailey S. Ibrahim A. Roy K.
Kareem A Violet A Abbie C.
Thanks to Mrs. Otta, Mrs. Palmerino and
Mrs. Larcombe for running this great
program!
You’re The Chef Program
Library News
The library will be closing down
for inventory on June 17th. Please
ensure that all of your books have
been returned by that date.
Thanks for a wonderful year of
learning and loving reading! If you
have misplaced your books, or
they have been damaged, please
forward the replacement cost to
your homeroom teacher by June
17th.
A special thank you to Mrs.
Diiorio, who helped make sure
that 21 students were able to at-
tend the Silver Birch and Red Ma-
ple conferences in May. The stu-
dents spent their days attending
workshops based on the books
they read, and meeting authors.
Highlights included Damien on-
stage entertaining the crowd with
his sound effects, and Madalyn
winning a prize for her amazing
Minecraft creation!
P A G E 6 T H E C O N N A U G H T C H R O N I C L E
Grade 7/8 Barbecue
Fundraiser This year, Connaught’s grade 8
graduation will be taking place
on Monday, June 27th at
St. Catharines Collegiate
Institute at 5:30 pm.
As well as the traditional
graduation ceremony, a full
course, sit-down meal will be
served for the students in the
Taste Restaurant.
The cost of our students’ meals
will be covered by the school.
We are so very proud of the
accomplishments of our grade 8
students and look forward to
sharing this special milestone
with them and their families.
Grade 8 Graduation Plans
Upcoming events at Connaught!
On Friday, June 3rd, our friends
from Best Buy will be coming to
the school to support the efforts of
the grade 7/8 students to fund-
raise!
Students had the opportunity to
pre-order hotdogs and freezies
which will be cooked by staff from
Best Buy and served by the grade
7/8 students. The proceeds will go
toward the cost of the Intermedi-
ate year-end Toronto trip.
Book Sale
From June 20-22, there will be a
used book sale in the Music
room at Connaught.
Almost everything will be sold
for 25¢!
Students are
welcome to
bring some
change to
school to
purchase
books that
have been
donated, or that have been re-
moved from the library.
Although these books might be
a little worn, or a little old, they
still have lots of life in them.
Please support our library fund
by coming in to purchase some
summer reading! The sale will
be held from 10:45-11:05, and
until 3:45 daily.
F i n a l C r a f t e r s ’ W o r k s h o p !
Crafter’s Workshop will be completing the year with
a final craft June 9th – June 11th. Come out and
make a hand decorated masterpiece, just in time for
summer vacation. Permission forms and samples of
the craft will be available next week.
Thanks to all of the many crafters who have joined
me this year to display their individual creativity,
hard work, and style! ~ Mrs. Michel
P F L C U p c o m i n g E v e n t s June 2—Ice Cream Day
June 10—P. A. Day—PFLC Closed
June 14—Dancing with Victoria
June 16—Butterfly Release
June 17—Meeting at Happy Rolph’s
June 21—Superhero Day
June 24—Meeting at Pearson Park
June 28—Dancing with Victorial
June 29—Cheeky Monkeys (sign-up required)
P A G E 7 T H E C O N N A U G H T C H R O N I C L E
Preparing for September!
Often we are asked by families about school supplies required for their children to return to school in
September. Truly, your child is not required to provide any school supplies of his/her own. However,
we do know that some families like to provide them. So that you are able to make the most useful
purchases, we have put together this recommended list for each grade level:
ELP and Grade 1: Indoor shoes with velcro fasteners
Backpack
Lunchbag with reusable water bottle
Box of Kleenex
Change of clothing in a labelled ziploc bag
Headphones/earbuds in a labelled ziploc bag
Grade 2 & 3: Indoor shoes with velcro fasteners
Change of clothing in a ziploc bag, labelled
Headphones/earbuds in a labelled ziploc bag
Backpack
Lunchbag with reusable water bottle
Pencil case with sharpened pencils
Erasers
Pencil crayons
Pencil sharpener
Glue sticks
Grades 4 to 6: Indoor shoes Change of clothing, labelled Deodorant (due to sensitivities, not aerosol spray style like AXE) Headphones/earbuds in a labelled bag Backpack Lunchbag with reusable water bottle Pencil case with sharpened pencils Erasers Pencil crayons Pencil sharpener Glue sticks Calculator Small French/English dictionary
*Please do not purchase pens or binders.*
Grades 7 & 8: Same as junior list, plus:
Two 1 1/2” - 2” plain binders
Blue pens
P A G E 8 T H E C O N N A U G H T C H R O N I C L E
On Tuesday, June 7th, 2016, we will be
welcoming our students who will be new
to JK in September to an evening of fun
and learning. The evening will run from
4-6 pm. It will include activities such as
playdough, magnetic letters, reading,
music and art as well as a chance to
meet many of our
community partners
and services! We hope
our new JK students will
join us for some fun
and get to know our
teachers and school. If
you know of any families with children
who will be starting JK in September,
and have not yet registered with us,
please encourage them to come and
register their children.
We look forward to a fun, creative
night!!
School’s Out for Summer
Wednesday, June 29th, 2016
The staff at Connaught would like to wish all of our families a wonderful
summer break!
School will resume on Tuesday, September 6th.
The Connaught School office will re-open for registration on Monday, August 29th
For DSBN information please visit www.dsbn.org or call 905-641-1550
between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm
Have a safe and happy summer!
Transportation
Information for
september
Niagara Student Transportation Services (NSTS) is the organization re-sponsible for administering safe, efficient and effective transportation ser-vices for the students of Niagara.
On August 15, 2016 NSTS will post back to school transportation ar-rangements for each student, including bus route numbers, stop locations and times. Eligibility information is also available through the portal and walking directions are available if your child lives within the walk zone of the school.
Please visit www.nsts.ca and sign-in to the secure parent portal to get your child’s student transportation information using your child’s Ontario Education Number (OEN) which can be found on their report card. While signed-in, please subscribe to the delay and cancellation module for direct and timely emails regarding student transportation that impacts your child.
Changes to home, pick-up or drop-off addresses must be made through your child’s school. During the summer you may notify NSTS of address changes so we can make sure a bus stop is available for your child to start the school year, however, NSTS is not authorized to change student ad-dress information.
With the availability of the secure parent portal, NSTS will not mail student transportation notices with the exception of Kindergarten students or new students to the system who do not have an OEN to sign-in to the portal.
Please contact your school or NSTS if you have questions regarding your child’s transportation arrangements.