We are very excited and proud as administrators of Michael Cranny Elementary

School to work with wonderful staff, students and their families. Since the be-

ginning of this school year, we have been hard at work not only on Math, Mod-

ern Learning, and Mental Health but also showing others that “Cranny Cares.”

Caretaking

Recently Michael Cranny was evaluated using the Standard-ized Cleaning Evaluation tool. The results of this evaluation indicated that our school achieved the level of Outstanding! This indicates that our caretaking team has gone above and beyond completing their core duties. We would like to thank Renato, Ivo, and Garry for their Outstanding level of service. Please Congratulate Renato, Ivo and Garry for their outstand-ing achievements next time you see them! At this time of year we would like to wish you and your family all the best this

holiday season and we look forward to the new year with our families at

Michael Cranny Elementary School.

See you in 2018!

Ritch McNaughton Anna Bruno

Principal Vice Principal

Principal Ritch McNaughton

Vice-Principal Anna Bruno

Head Secretary Anne Kaufmann

Secretary A

Anna Cristinziano

Caretaking Team Renato D’Andrea

Ivo DiNicolo Garry Palikrousis

Superintendent of

Schools Paul Valle

(905) 764-6830

Trustee Anna DeBartolo (416) 898-9653

155 MELVILLE AVE. MAPLE, ON L6A 1Y9 TEL: 905.832.4922 FAX: 905.832.0807

School Email

michael.cranny.es@yrdsb.ca

School Blog michaelcrannyyrdsb.blogspot.ca

Twitter @michaelcrannyes

FROM THE ADMINISTRATION

2017

Happy Holidays

from our Family to Yours!

Parent Teacher Interviews

On November 22nd Progress Report Cards went home with your child(ren). You had

the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher on the evening of November 23rd

and during the morning of November 24th. MCES staff wanted to extend a warm

thank you for coming in and supporting our students to achieve the best they can.

Thanks again!

Michael Cranny E.S. Page 2

Parent Information

Bring Your Own Device: What Parents Need to Know

The possession of and use of a variety of electronic devices is definitely part of today’s fast paced society.

Students must sign a waiver with their homeroom teacher if they would like to use a device to help them

with their school assignments. The responsibility for this device lies solely with the student and the school

cannot be responsible for theft or damage.

However, at Michael Cranny the use of cell phones during the school day to make phone calls, text or use

social media for personal purposes is not allowed. If your child needs to contact you during the day, s/he

may come to the school office and request the use of the landline. Should your child bring a cell phone to

school, it needs to be turned off or silenced upon entering the building and may only be used for online ac-

cess under the direct supervision of the teacher for educational purposes.

Roots of Empathy

Mrs. Fairbarn’s class has been participating in the Roots of Empathy program. They have been en-gaged and learning from baby Marcus who is now 5 months old. The students look forward to the visits with baby Marcus. Baby Marcus visits with the class every 3 weeks which keep the students engaged and eager to witness the new skills that baby Mar-cus will show at the following visits.

Kindergarten Registration

Starts January 19, 2018

Kindergarten registration will commence on Janu-

ary 19, 2018 for the 2018-19 school year. Registra-

tion forms are available on YRDSB’s website:

www.yrdsb.ca. Children who turn four or five

years old during 2018, live within the school

boundary and whose parents are public school tax

supporters will be eligible to register for kindergar-

ten. A kindergarten information session for par-

ents is being planned for this spring. For more in-

formation please visit the YRDSB website or con-

tact your local school.

Visitors to the School

We welcome visitors and volunteers to the school. All visitors and volunteers must start their visit in the of-fice. All visitors and volunteers are required to wear a “visitor” or “volunteer” sticker while in the school. If you are bringing an item for your child or picking up your child for an appointment, please come to the school of-fice. A staff member will contact the classroom and ensure the item is delivered, or direct your child to the office if you are picking up your child. If possible, try to arrange appointments after school hours so that your child does not miss valuable class time.

Please notify us in writing or by telephone if someone other than the parent/guardian will pick up your child. We will only release children to adults listed as emergency contacts.

If you wish to arrange a meeting by phone or in person to speak with your child’s teacher, please call the school ahead of time to arrange a convenient time. We cannot ask teachers to leave their classrooms during the instructional day to take a phone call or meet with a parent. If you are coming to school for a pre-arranged appointment, please begin your visit in the office and we will notify the teacher that you have ar-rived.

School Council 2017-2018

Our school council meetings for the 2017-2018 school year will take place on:

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Wednesday, January 17th, 2018

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Thursday, May 17, 2018

All Parents are welcome to join us

in the library at 7:00 p.m.

Follow Us!!

If you like to follow Michael Cranny’s Twitter

feed, where school information such as events,

news, etc, will be posted. You are encouraged to

follow the school’s twitter feed

@michaelcrannyes

Michael Cranny E.S. Page 3

Parent Information

Dental Screening is coming to MCES

for our students in JK/SK, Grade 2

and Grade 8.

If time permits, they will be examining

other grades in the school.

Thursday, December 7th

Michael Cranny E.S. Page 4

All our students will be ex-pected to be outside before, during and after school in all weather conditions (i.e., rain or shine, snow or heat). Students need to come to school dressed to play outside during recesses. Boots (for rain or snow), rain jackets, hats, mitts, scarves and snow pants will help make recess an enjoyable time. It is advisable for children to keep extra pants and socks at school in case they get wet. To avoid adding to our clothing collection in the Lost and Found Bin, please be sure to label all articles of clothing.

Drop by before December 22nd to checkout the lost and founds box. All unclaimed items will be donated to a charitable organization!

Parent Information

If the condition of the roads necessitates the cancel-lation of bus service, local radio stations will be in-formed as early as possible and will broadcast this information to the community. Please be advised that if buses are cancelled in the morning they will not run after school—regardless of the weather. Review your plans as to what your chil-dren will do in the event of late buses or cancella-tions. The following radio stations announce cancel-lations:

AM 590 AM 640 AM 680 AM 1010 AM1050 AM 1530 AM 1540 FM 88.5 FM 90.3 FM 92.5 FM 93.1 FM 97.3 FM 98.1 FM 99.9 FM 100.7

FM 104.5 FM 107.1

You can also go to www.schoolbuscity.com

Weather Conditions Dress Warmly for Cold Weather

Community Walkways

Winter is almost here! Brrrr…. We all recognize that the winter months are especially hazardous due to the presence of ice and snow. This is a time where we need to be extra careful while travelling to and from school. Please be extra careful especially since our walkways to school properties are not maintained by the Board during the winter months.

Walk like a penguin to prevent slips, trips, and falls!

Michael Cranny E.S. Page 5

A huge congratulations to both our

Boys and Girls Intermediate Volleyball

Teams in participating at York Region

West Areas. They faced many challeng-

ing teams and we would like to

acknowledge them for their dedication,

efforts, and hard work. Thank you to Mr. Nemirov and

Mrs. Fairbarn for their continued dedication to our

sports programs here at Michael Cranny E.S .

Parent Information

Best Buddies has officially begun at Michael Cranny! Best Buddies is a program that builds inclusivity and peership. It supports our school focus on developing empathy and empowering students through leadership and positive interac-tions. The Best Buddies program will help stu-dents gain confidence, learn social skills and build fun and healthy friendships. Our first Best Buddies event was a hit! Students had the op-portunity to meet their buddies, play games and learn our Best Buddies pledge.

We are looking forward to con-tinuing to build friendships and creating an inclusive environ-ment for all students at Michael Cranny!

Best Buddies Int. Boys and Girls Volleyball

Intermediate Students Visit Sainte-Marie among the Hurons

As part of the unit in History, students got to investigate Canada’s history from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Students were provided with opportunities to explore and inquire about the life and experi-ences of First Nations in Early Canada.

Intermediate students followed the footsteps of Ontario’s first peoples and the French newcomers. They participated in workshops, including 17th century fire-starting techniques, quill pen writing. Stu-dents also worked with clay, played some of Canada’s oldest games, including lacrosse, and made con-nections between past and present in the site’s museum.

Michael Cranny E.S. Page 6

On the afternoon of Monday, November 27th, 2017, a special guest Ms. Libman, came to Michael Cranny to present to the Intermediate students. As a Holocaust survivor, Ms. Libman was invited to our school to speak about her life and what happened to her as child. She has only recently been able to speak about her experiences as a Jewish child growing up during the war.

Ms. Libman shared two important messages with students. One of the messages that she shared was the importance of sharing her story in order to prevent more wars and hatred against people. Ms. Libman talked about how she was separated from her family, and how many of her friends and family eventually died because of hate towards the Jewish peo-ple.

The second message Ms. Libman explained to us was that our generation can control what happens in this world, and in the fu-ture. She encouraged us to be better than what has happened in history. In the ghetto, at night, Ms. Libman would read secret books to help people feel safe, and like life was normal. She encouraged others, and always had strong faith that they would sur-vive the war.

Ms. Libman also shared the story about her mother, who was an extraordinary woman. She worked hard to save people from being hurt or killed. Her mother believed that her daughter and others would be free one day, and that they would leave the ghetto, work camp and eventually the concentration camp. By sharing her stories with us, Ms. Libman captivated us with her story of survival, and encouraged us to persevere even in the most difficult situations.

-Grade 7/8 SSC Students

Parent Information

Holocaust Survivor Visits MCES

Youth Voice Conference 2017

In November, a few grade 7 and 8 students had the opportunity to visit Maple High School to attend the Youth Voice Conference. This conference focused on the importance of understanding and begin-ning the conversation about Mental Health. While there, we attended a variety of workshops and spent time learning about coping strategies, signs of mental health and other related topics. After attending the workshops, we started working on making a plan of action of how we could continue to support mental health awareness in our school community. This was an invaluable experience and we can’t wait to share our learning with our peers as the year continues.

-Grade 7 & 8 MCES Students

A Message from our Trustee

In November, about 1,000 students, staff members and community partners came together from across the Board to form a Ring of Peace and stand together against hate, discrimination and intolerance. The student speakers at the event shared meaningful messages about the importance of feeling welcome, valued and respected.

At York Region District School Board, we are committed to listening to the voices of our students and communities. We will continue working with our school communities to ensure our schools provide safe, welcoming and inclusive environ-ments for everyone.

Last month, our annual Quest conference brought together educators from across Ontario, Canada and around the world to share, learn and discuss how to foster well-being in schools. Some of the themes covered included equity and inclusivity, and safe and caring environments.

It was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about some of the positive things happening in our own schools and other districts. In recent months, we have had several international visitors come to our system and schools to learn more about the work in our system to support student achievement and well-being, including Qatar, the Netherlands, Texas and the United Kingdom.

We are pleased to have these opportunities to continue highlighting and sharing the great things happening in our schools thanks to our outstanding students, staff members, families and community partners. Your engagement makes a difference in our schools and I encourage you to continue getting involved in the life of your child’s school.

As we enter the holiday season, I am once again impressed by the generosity of our school communities and our stu-dents’ commitment to helping others.

Best wishes to everyone for a safe and happy holiday season and a wonderful start to 2018.

Michael Cranny E.S. Page 7

Parent Information

Fun on the Run Winter Break Camp

Parent Information

Michael Cranny E.S. Page 8

Cranny Cares Initiative—Maple Health Centre

During the months of October/November for our Cranny Cares initiative, Mrs. Speers and Mr. Milette’s classes decided to showcase the traits of positivity and helping others by visiting the Maple Health Centre, a long-term care facility for seniors. The 20 students who went had a wonderful time completing a Remembrance Day activity with their “Grandpals,” and even came back with beautiful wreaths to put up at our school. We all had some great laughs, and made some really special memories, including getting to try on a couple of cool soldier hats! It was also very nice to hear about their wonderful experiences, and they all had a great story to tell! Although some of the seniors weren’t able to complete some tasks, our awesome Cranny ambassadors had no problem giving them a helping hand, and although they were sad to say goodbye, they are eager to see them again in the new year! Overall, it was a fantastic experience for our students to get out into the community, and meet some really amazing people along the way! Sincerely, Mr. Milette and Mrs. Speers Classes

Will your child be late or absent?

Be sure to call the school before 8:10 a.m. to let us know.

You can also leave a

message anytime at

(905) 832-4922

in the attendance mailbox.

Parent Information

Michael Cranny E.S. Page 9

Thursday, December 7th

Michael Cranny’s

School Council Presents…

Family Movie Night

Featuring

The Nut Job 2

Thursday, December 7th at 6:30 p.m.

In the gym

Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Please purchase tickets through

School Cash On Line!

Parent Information

Michael Cranny E.S. Page 10

Flu Season - Are you ready?

Parent Information

Michael Cranny E.S. Page 11

Arts at Baythorn P.S.

Learning the Ontario curriculum through the Arts?

If so, the York Region District School Board offers an Elementary Integrated Arts Program at Baythorn Pub-lic School. If you are currently in grades four or five you may apply for the arts@baythorn program, where you will have the opportunity to explore the disciplines of Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, and Music in a cooperative learning environment.

To learn more about the arts@baythorn program,

you and your family are invited to attend an information evening

at Baythorn Public School on

Thursday, January 18, 2018 @ 6:30 p.m.

Applications will be available online after the January 18th, 2018 info night.

If you require further information, please call us at:

Baythorn Public School

(905) 889-7992.

Principal Vice Principal

Kate Kurek Meytal Daniels