MacLeod’s Musings

May 2, 2014. Volume #8, Issue #9

Brad Derry Principal 905-398-7945 Nadia Russiello Vice Principal 905-398-7945 Gayle Brocklebank-Vincent Superintendent 905-884-4477 Diane Giangrande Trustee 905-770-0826

MacLeod’s Landing P.S.

From the Administrative Team: May is shaping up to be a very busy month at MacLeod’s Landing P.S.! Some events that will take place are our Grade 8 trip to Ottawa, a Welcome to Kindergarten session, Jump Rope for Heart, Track and Field and EQAO. Please take the time to look over the calendar included in the newsletter for a full outline of what will be taking place this month. As our school staff begins organizing classes for September 2014, it is valuable for parents to understand the process for student placement decisions. The ultimate goal in all of our efforts is to provide an optimum learning environment for our students. Classroom teachers, special education and ESL teachers as well as the principal and vice principal are involved in the class placement process. A great deal of time and consideration goes into placing students in the most positive learning environment possible, given each individual student’s skills, knowledge, attitude and work habits. Classes at each grade level are formed using a variety of important criteria such as:

Class size consistent with Board and Ministry guidelines (i.e. not more than 20 in primary grades, with the exception of kindergarten);

Gender balance in each class;

A range of performance levels within each class, taking into account the skills, knowledge, attitudes and work habits of individual students

Placement of ELL and Special Education students that facilitates the programs required for these students;

Promoting positive social relationships while minimizing unproductive associations.

We are looking forward to a busy and exciting month!

B. Derry N. Russiello B. Derry N. Russiello Principal Vice-Principal

Dates and Events 1 Character Matters Assembly

(2:15 p.m.) 1 Scientists in the School

(Connor/Law) 1 Skills @ Work Presentation 1 Beltane (Wicca) 5 Scientists in Schools

(Masciotra) 6 Scientists in Schools

(Stephens) 7 Jump Rope & Hoops for

Heart 7-9 Grade 8 Trip to Ottawa 11 Mother’s Day 13 Vision Screening (SK) 14 Wesak (Buddhism) 15 Camp Quality Puppet

Shows 16 Crazy Hair Day 19 Victoria Day (No School) 20 MONDAY Schedule

20,21 GushWorks (Grades 7 & 8)

21 Special Needs Track & Field 22 School Track & Field 22 Welcome to Kindergarten 22 School Council Meeting (7

pm) 23 Character Matters Assembly

(2:15 p.m.) 23 Declaration of the Bab 25 Miraj-un-Nabi (Islam) 26 EQAO begins 28 Junior Achievement 29 Ascension Day (Christianity) 29 Ascension of Baha’u’llah

(Baha’I Faith) 30 Everyone Matters! Assembly

(11:15 a.m.)

Warm Weather Wear

As the warm weather approaches, we feel the following reminders are timely. We would ask that you review with your child the Dress Code in our handbook. Please note that the following clothes are deemed inappropriate for school: short tops which expose the midriff; tops with low scooped necklines; tank tops that droop below the armpit; spaghetti straps (less than 5 cm wide); visible bra straps and other visible underwear. Our students may not wear chains or studded bracelets or neck chokers. Shorts and skirts must be mid-thigh in length. Head coverings, other than for religious reasons, may only be worn outside and must be removed when entering the building.

Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops

MacLeod’s Landing will be hosting our

annual Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart

Event on Wednesday, May 7th.

Parents are welcome to join us between 11:20 and 12:20.

Bring your skipping rope!

Pledge envelopes were due May 5th.

Thank you to all who contributed to this

event. We will publish the grand total of

funds raised in our next newsletter.

Are You Moving?

Are you moving before next September? If so, please let us know as soon as possible. Please call our office with any information: 905-398-7945

.

EQAO Assessment Dates

The Education Quality Accountability Office has set the dates from May 26

th through to

June 6th

as the period in which our students are to complete the EQAO assessment. MacLeod’s Landing P.S. staff members will be administering the assessment throughout this period with our grade 3 and 6 students. Our Grade 6 students will be completing the EQAO assessment on May 26

th, 27

th and 28

th.

Our Grade 3 students will be completing the EQAO assessment on May 30

th, June 2

nd and

3rd

. We ask that parents of these students ensure that the assessment period is free of appointments. This will enable us to gather a complete set of data for each child.

Welcome to Kindergarten!

If you have not yet registered your child for Kindergarten, please be reminded that we are taking registrations in the school office. Please take the time to remind your neighbours of the need to register now. Our Welcome to Kindergarten event is scheduled for May 22

nd from 4:15-5:30 p.m.

No Scents Please

The York Region District School Board is committed to a safe, healthy and respectful workplace and learning environment for staff, students, and all other persons who are invited to or who work on Board property. According to the Lung Association, 15 to 20 per cent of the Canadian population have respiratory issues, such as asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, and allergies. Several hundred chemicals can be used to make ONE scented product. Fragrances are found in a wide range of products. Common scented products include perfume, cologne, aftershave, deodorant, soap, shampoo, hairspray, body spray, makeup and powders. Examples of other products with added scents include air fresheners, fabric softeners, laundry detergents, cleaners, carpet deodorizers, facial tissues, and candles. Reactions to these chemicals may include shortness of breath/wheezing, headaches and migraines, nausea and muscle pain, and cold-like symptoms. Staff, students and all other persons who are invited to or who work on Board property are asked to be considerate of those who are sensitive to fragrant chemicals by voluntarily refraining from chemical-based scented products and replacing them with unscented alternatives. This will reduce the use of fragranced products in our environment. Thank you!

Dear Families,

As the weather is getting warmer and children are outdoors more often some reminders about personal

safety are timely. You may wish to review the personal safety tips outlined below by the York

Regional Police.

It’s time to remind children about being safe in our community.

Here's what children need to know:

Their name, age, telephone number, address, city and province. This can be done through

rhyme or song.

How to contact their parents at any time, by memorizing cell or work numbers.

How and under what circumstances to call 911.

To never approach or enter a stranger's vehicle. A responsible adult would never ask a child

for directions or any other question for that matter.

Make sure they know they have a right to say "no" to an adult, especially when the adult is

asking them to do something they have been taught is wrong or feels uncomfortable.

Reminding children of this right is important because children are taught from a young age to

respect adults.

To always tell parents where they will be and to never enter someone's home without their

parent's permission.

If home alone, never admit it when answering the phone. Never answer a knock at the door or

speak through it. Adults can be very persuasive. Teach your child to call you if there is a

knock at the door and if they fear for their safety, teach them to call 911. Make sure they know

that police officers are there to help them and would not get mad if it were a false alarm.

If they think they are being followed or are in danger they should run home or to a public

place. If someone grabs them, they should try to get away, yelling and screaming while doing

so.

It is important to play in safe areas, never take shortcuts and stick with a buddy whenever

possible.

Please be assured that we take all necessary measures to keep children safe at school and we appreciate

that you share that responsibility with us. .

A Word From Our Students

VORC (Written by students in Ms. Spark’s Grade ¾ class)

Have you ever gone to a forest that is safe to explore? Well, the grade fours in Ms Hanks’ and Ms Spark’s class went to

VORC. When we got there, we talked about pictures and photographs. We learned that a picture is an unplanned photo; a

photograph is a planned photo. We took photos of nature at three sites then chose our favourite to bring back to school.

After lunch, we played a game that taught us about the three stages of extinction: special concern, threatened, endangered,

and extinct. It was the best outdoor classroom ever and we can’t wait to go back in grade 7.

THIS JUST IN!

(Written by students in Mrs. Fineman’s Grade 1 class)

The mayor visited Macleod’s Landing on April 1st 2014 and the grade one classes had the opportunity to interview the

mayor! Our two reporters, Two of our reporters commented on the events. Many questions were asked during his stay.

Reporter #1 recounted: “We learned that we were his bosses, which was really interesting because I didn’t know I was the

boss of the mayor! He told us that he was 67 years old, and he said that he didn’t ALWAYS want to be a mayor. He wanted

to be a teacher, firefighter, or policeman when he was in grade one.”

Reporter #2 added, “We learned that when he planned on creating a building, they have to vote on where the building will

be placed. He plans where neighborhoods are located, even MacLeod’s landing!”

One of the most interesting facts was the mayor’s special necklace. Reporter #2 reported, “We learned that the mayor

wears a special necklace on special occasions, and it has the symbol of Richmond Hill, which is a lion. It is silver”.

Reporter #1 explained, “The worst part about his job is that sometimes he needs to make hard decisions. Some people do

not get what they want.”

Then the questioning led to one of the most important recent events that happened in Richmond Hill, the ice storm! Both

reporters claimed, “During the ice storm, the mayor was in charge of getting people started on cleaning up the branches. We

learned that he was doing something really interesting with the branches! Instead of throwing the wood away, the mayor

decided to go and make cool things out of the wood, like chairs and benches that the entire community can use!”

MacLeod’s Landing Public School would like to thank Mayor Barrow for coming to the school and answering questions

related to our Social Studies “Local Community” Unit. The experience was memorable and the students got to meet an

important community figure.

Blades of Glory

(Written by students in Ms. Spark’s Grade ¾ class)

Part 1: Guess What? Blades of Glory came to our school. They are a group of adults who go to schools and teach grade 4s

about the medieval times. It was cool to see the hierarchy being made as we learned about the different rankings of people.

We also learned about the life of serfs. It was exciting to participate in plays and stories up dressing up in a costume. You

are never going to believe this! We got to touch swords and daggers, and try on helmets. They were real things from

medieval times.

Part 2Chainmail: Did you know that knights wore chainmail armor to protect themselves from swords? This worked until

they made new weapons that could pierce right through the chainmail. There were two different types of chainmail, meshed

and butted. To make a chainmail vest, we would have to work every day, for hours each day. If there was one little gap

between the chain links, it would break apart because the two gaps will meet and then the armor would break apart. We

made chainmail bracelets and it was really hard to make. Now you know what chainmail is.

Black Creek Pioneer Village

(Written by students in Ms. Spark’s Grade ¾ class)

On April 24, the grade threes visited Black Creek Pioneer Village.

Doctor’s House and Tinsmith: We are really lucky we are smarter than the pioneers. Pioneer doctors didn’t know about

germs. They used mechanical leeches to take out blood because they thought you were sick from having too much blood.

There were no numbing treatments so this would have hurt. But, the tinsmith was smarter and used copper and tin to make

STUDENT BUSING ELIGIBILITY

things. They used a mallet, chisel, and punch to make designs.

Turkey: When we arrived at the farm yard, we were surprised by the animal that was waiting for us. It was the male

turkey! It kept screaming at us. It had a big, long nose if it got mad and its nose was very long. We didn’t understand why it

was screaming and puffing out its feathers. Our guide told us it freaked out because it thought we will kill it so we left.

School House: We went to the school for pioneers and learned pioneers had school 6 days a week, but only in winter. We

pretended to be pioneers so we worked on slates and shared books. Jacob Strong was pulling girls’ hair so he was punished

by standing and balancing books on his hands. If they dropped, the teacher would have added more books. Quinn Smythe

was mumbling his times tables so he had to wear the dunce cap. That would embarrass the child. Another child had to put

her nose on the chalkboard because she wouldn’t share the toys at recess. We had fun but are glad we’re not pioneers.

McMichael Art Gallery

(Written by students in Ms. Spark’s Grade ¾ class)

Have you ever wondered what the McMichael Art Gallery is? On March 27, Ms Spark’s and Ms Hanks’ classes went to the

McMichael Art Gallery. We got to make drawing at the beginning of the day. We learned to us water colour crayons. Then

we got to see Mary Pratt’s paintings. Mary Pratt’s paintings looked like photographs. Finally, we played a game. We had to

find the right picture for a card that had a word on it. We had to match a painting to the word.

Did you know that students’ busing eligibility changes throughout their school career? Your son/daughter’s eligibility to ride the school bus may change according to their grade and distance from home to school. Below are the provisions for eligibility identified in the Board’s Transportation Policy #680:

All YRDSB students in Grades JK-3 who live within 1.2 km of their school are not eligible for transportation

All YRDSB students in Grades 4-8 who live within 1.6 km of their school are not eligible for transportation

All YRDSB students in Grades 9-12 who live within a transit served area are not eligible for transportation.

To view Board Policy #680 Student Transportation, please visit www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca. For more information about bus transportation and to determine your son/daughter’s eligibility please visit www.schoolbuscity.com.

Bus Stop Etiquette

If your child rides the school bus to and from school, please take

the time to review the expectations below with your child:

students are to arrive at the bus stop at least 5 minutes before the

scheduled pick up time;

while waiting for the bus, students are to stay on the sidewalk and

refrain from boisterous activities;

many of our bus stops are adjacent to private residences, please be respectful of the

homeowner’s property – students should not be playing on driveways and/or sitting on porch

steps while waiting for the bus;

if you drive your child to the bus stop, please check that you are not blocking someone’s

driveway while you wait for the bus.

Thank you for your co-operation!

MLPS School Council – May Newsletter

The role of School Council is to enhance student achievement and well-being and we strive to meet the needs of all children from Kindergarten classes to Grade 8. One of the ways School Council is able to achieve this is by organizing fund-raisers. Since my last update back in November regarding purchases of various technology items, we have been able to allocate funds towards the following additional items:

- Large Electronic Screen in the Gym

- Musical Instruments (Brass Instruments)

- MLPS Sports Jerseys and Recess Equipment

- Kindergarten Area Rugs and manipulatives

- Anti-Bullying Presentation

- Water-Bottle Filling Station, Tumble Books

- Classroom Fans

- Teacher Release for Special Events

On behalf of the School Council, I’d like to thank both donors and volunteers – with your support we have been able to further enrich our school community.

Yasin Dharamshi, Chair

Council Members

Chair: Yasin Dharamshi

Co-Chair: Rahila Chughtai

Treasurer: Samantha Venuti

Secretary: Shyla Abedin

Fund Raising: Sheila Baxter

Communication: David Duong

Health & Safety: Brandy Tanenbaum / Lian Chua

Parent Engagement: Vina Sandher

Upcoming School Council Meetings starting at 7pm

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Thursday June 12 @ 5:30 pm

MacLeod’s Landing School Council is very excited to bring you our annual Spring Carnival. Look for order forms and volunteering opportunities closer to June.

barbeque * gigantic slide * jumping castles * obstacle course * snow-cone * cotton candy

DJ… music & dancing!

Register by May 8th at kcssparentcouncil@gmail.com *Child Care can be requested upon registration.

Raising Kids in a New Kind of World:

…..practical solutions for busy parents Navigating your kids in 21st century learning Physical, emotional and social environments of today’s schools Self-Esteem, Self-Confidence & Self-Empowerment Effective strategies for supporting student success Pressing issues facing parents and teachers

*PRO Grant parent seminar funded by the Ministry of Education

KCSS School Council Presents……. Michael Reist

Michael Reist is a long time teacher,

nationally acclaimed speaker and author

of the Canadian best seller Raising Boys in a New Kind of World

A Free Parent Seminar Date: Tues. May 13, 2014

Time: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Place: King City S.S.

Children’s Mental Health Week May 4 - 9, 2014

The York Centre Coffee & Conversation Series

May 5 - 8, 2014

To celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week, The York Centre for Children, Youth & Families is hosting a series of workshops for interested parents and other community members. The workshops are free of charge, but you do need to register in advance for each workshop you would like to attend. The format of the evenings will be structured, but informal. Each evening will include a presentation, discussion, coffee and goodies, not necessarily in that order. TO REGISTER, please go online to the Eventbrite website using the link listed below each topic. Choose one only for each evening.

Dates: May 5-8, 2014 Cost: Free Time: starting from 6:30 p.m. Place: The York Centre for Children, Youth & Families

11225 Leslie Street, Richmond Hill (1.5 kilometres north of Elgin Mills on the east side) 905-887-5896

Monday, May 5: Attachment Based Parenting - Teens Presenters: Natasha Wakefield, MA, CCC 6:30-8:00 p.m. http://tyc141.eventbrite.com Kim Cooper, MSW, RSW Art Therapy (presented in Farsi) Presenter: Mah Ostad, MA, OACCPP

http://tyc142.eventbrite.com Therapeutic Use of Hand Drumming Presenter: John Ciccone, CYW http://tyc143.eventbrite.com

Tuesday, May 6: Theraplay Presenter: Jaana Lempinen, CYW 6:30-8:00 p.m. http://tyc144.eventbrite.com Parenting Your Anxious Child Presenter: Jennifer Scott, SSW

http://tyc145.eventbrite.com

Wednesday, May 7: De-escalating Crisis in the Home Presenter: Bruce Johnson, CYW 6:30-8:00 p.m. http://tyc146.eventbrite.com

Thursday, May 8: safeTALK training Presenter: Michelle Cassidy, 6:30-9:30 p.m. http://tyc147.eventbrite.com Mental Health Lead, YRDSB

Supported by

Workshop Descriptions on reverse side.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

Monday, May 5 (choose one)

Attachment Based Parenting - Teens: Do you have trouble with your teen? Are you and your teen fighting a lot? Is your teen skipping school or getting in trouble with friends? Are they locked in their room for days at a time? Many children and teens experience mental health difficulties that make it hard for them to do well at home, at school, and in their community. These problems can include feelings of anger, depression and confusion, aggressive behaviour and conflict with parents and teachers. This conversation will introduce concepts are specifically designed to help parents and other caregivers of teens who are struggling with these issues.

Art Therapy (presented in Farsi): Art is a powerful tool in communication. It is now widely acknowledged that art expression is a way to visually communicate thoughts and feelings that are too painful to put into words. Creative activity has also been used in psychotherapy and counseling not only because it serves another language but also because of its inherent ability to help people of all ages explore emotions and beliefs, reduce stress, resolve problems.

یدرمان هنر یدرمان هنر. بخشد بهبود را یستیبهز و یروان سلامت تا زدیآم یم هم در خلاقانه یندهایفرا با را یماندر روان یها کیتکن ،یدرمان هنر

و بهبود ،یسن یها رده همه در را افراد یجانیه و یروان ،یجسم یستیبهز و سلامت تا کند یم استفاده یهنر خلاقانه یندهایفرا از مشکلات، و تعارضات حل در مردم به ،یهنر یانگریب خود در خلاقانه ندیفرا که دارد قرار اعتقاد نیا هیپا بر یهنردرمان. بخشد ارتقاء

کمک شتریب و بهتر نشیب آوردن دست به و ،یخودآگاه و نفس حرمت شیافزا استرس، کاهش رفتار، میتنظ ،یارتباط یها مهارت تیتقو . کند یم

The Therapeutic Use of Hand Drumming: This 90 minute interactive session is limited to ten adult participants. The session will have a brief Powerpoint and discussion followed by a facilitated drum circle.

Tuesday, May 6 (choose one) Theraplay: Theraplay is NOT Play Therapy!! Please come and learn the difference and discover how you can increase the bond you have with your child by including Structure, Nurture, Engagement and Challenge. This workshop will be interactive, fun, and silly; please wear comfy clothes and come with a joyful heart and willingness to find your inner child. **Adults only. This workshop will relate best to parents who have children under age 10.

Parenting Your Anxious Child: What does a child who is anxious look like and sound like? Come and learn about the cycle of anxiety and the signs and symptoms that anxious children present. There are things you can do and things you perhaps shouldn’t do. You’ll learn helpful strategies that parents can use. This workshop is geared to parents and caregivers of kids of all ages.

Wednesday, May 7 De-escalating Crisis in the Home: NO!!!! ….SO WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IF I DON’T.… YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME! I CAN DO WHAT I WANT! YOU CAN’T STOP ME! - I’M LEAVING! JUST TRY AND MAKE ME! Does this sound familiar? This workshop will provide an overview of how crisis situations can spiral out of control. We will discuss how to respond to the different levels of a crisis.

Thursday, May 8 safeTALK training: safeTalk is a training that prepares you to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources. Most people with thoughts of suicide invite help to stay safe. Alert helpers know how to use these opportunities to support that desire for safety. As a safeTALK-trained suicide alert helper, you will be better able to: move beyond common tendencies to miss, dismiss or avoid suicide; identify people who have thoughts of suicide; apply the TALK steps (Tell, Ask, Listen and KeepSafe) to connect a person with suicide thoughts to suicide first aid, intervention caregivers. Powerful video clips illustrate both non-alert and alert responses. Discussion and practice help stimulate learning. Learning steps that contribute to saving lives. This workshop is three hours in length.

Respect Responsibility Courage Empathy Optimism Initiative Honesty Fairness Integrity Perseverance Inclusiveness

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Character Matters

Assembly @ 2:15 p.m.

Scientists in School

(Connor/Law)

2 3

4 5

Scientists in School

(Masciotra)

6

Scientists in School

(Stephens)

7

Jump Rope and Hoops

for Heart (11:20 a.m.)

8 9 10

11 12 13

Vision Screening

(SK only)

14 15

Camp Quality Puppet

Shows

16

Crazy Hair Day

17

18 19 20

MONDAY Schedule

Gushworks (Gr. 7 & 8)

21

Special Needs Track &

Field

Gushworks (Gr. 7 & 8)

22 School Track &

Field

- Welcome to

Kindergarten (4:15

p.m.)

- School Council

Meeting (7 pm)

23

Character Matters

Assembly (2:15 p.m.)

24

25 26

EQAO begins

27 28

Junior Achievement

(Branoff/Barley)

29 30

Everyone Matters!

Assembly (11:15 am)

31

May 2014

BUS ROUTES HOTLINE

1-877-330-3001

www.schoolbuscity.com

Initiative

We act without being prompted by others.

We are eager to do what needs to be done without being told to do it.

We take the first step towards the achievement of a goal.

Updated: 6-May-14

VICTORIA DAY

BELTANE

WESAK

MacLeod's Landing Public School

Tel: (905) 398-7945 Fax: (905) 398-0842

Website: http://macleodslanding.ps.yrdsb.ca/

eMail: macleod’s.landing.ps@yrdsb.edu.on.ca

DECLARATION OF THE BAB

ASCENSION DAY

ASCENSION OF BAHA’U’LLAH MIRAJ-UN-NABI

Grade 8 trip to Ottawa