Contact Information: Phone: 905-887-1543 Email: Castlemore.ps@yrdsb.ca Fax: 905-887-3849 Website: http://castlemore.ps.yrdsb.ca/ Address: 256 Ridgecrest Rd., Markham, ON, L6C 2R5

CASTLEMORE PUBLIC SCHOOL NEWSCASTLEMORE PUBLIC SCHOOL NEWSCASTLEMORE PUBLIC SCHOOL NEWS March 2016

Administrators’ Message:

Mar 1, 22 Pizza days

Mar 3 School Council Meeting

Mar 8, 29 Sub Days

Mar 14 - 18 March Break (no school)

Mar 23 Grad Photos - Gr. 8s

Mar 25 & 28 Good Friday & Easter Monday

(no school)

Apr 7 School Council Meeting

Principal Gwendolyn Emmerson Vice-Principal Heather Purcell School Trustee Billy Pang (647) 461-9965 Superintendent of Schools - Erik Khilji (905) 940-7800

Full Newsletter Available Online

(www.yrdsb.ca/schools/castlemore.ps)

In this issue:

Pg. 2 - Preparing for 2016-17 School Year

Pg. 3 - Intermediate Boys Basketball - Regional Champs

Pg. 6 - Guide to Street Crossing Safety

Pg. 7 - Equity Team - About Social Emotional Learning

Dear Families,

February was a very busy month at Castlemore Public School! We celebrated the 100th day of school! We learned about the contributions of many Black Canadians as we observed Black History Month. Term one report cards were sent home on February 19. As always, should you have any questions you are invited to call your child’s teacher. Thank you to all families who have sent in the ‘Student and Parent Signature’ attachment at the end of the report card. If you haven’t already done so, please send it in to your child’s teacher.

As we move into March, the weather will be warming up. Please continue to ensure that your children are dressed appropriately for the changing Spring weather. Although the snow may be melting, our school yard will continue to have wet and muddy areas during the Spring melt and wet weather. Children should continue to wear waterproof footwear outside and have a dry pair of indoor shoes to wear. Children may also wish to keep an extra pair of pants and socks in their backpacks in case they need to change following outdoor play.

For those parents with children in grades 3 and/or 6, please note that your child will be participating in the grade 3 and 6 standards based assessment, known as EQAO. This year students will be participating in the assessment between May 25th to June 8th. Please ensure that you don’t book any family holidays and/or medical appointments during this time. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school. As many parents and educators are aware, EQAO assessments are used in schools to plan for continuous student improvement in the areas of Liter-acy and Numeracy. The school based results assist in developing goals for improvement, namely by targeting areas in the curriculum which may require additional focus.

The staffing process for the 2016-2017 school year is well underway. As part of this planning process, it is very important that you communicate with your child’s teacher and the office if you plan to move, resulting in a possible change of school. Staffing of schools is based on specific numbers of students expected to attend. This includes students registering for Kindergarten. As a result, if you are aware of a family friend and/or neighbour that resides in our enrolment area, please encourage them to register at Castlemore for the Full Day Every Day Kindergarten Program. Parents with a child born in 2012 are encouraged to register as soon as possible for Junior Kindergarten starting in September.

As a reminder, March Break extends from Monday, March 14th to Friday, March 18th. The first day back is Monday, March 21st. The following week, school will be closed for Good Friday on March 25th and Easter Monday on March 28th. On behalf of the staff, we hope that you and your family have safe, relaxing and fun-filled break.

Gwen Emmerson and Heather Purcell

STUDENT ABSENCE

Please call the office by 8:30 a.m. at 905-887-1543 for every student absence and/or late.

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Registration for the 2016-2017 year began in January. Children born in 2012 are eligible to attend Junior Kindergarten in September 2016. Those born in 2011 who are not currently attending public school are eligible for Senior Kindergarten in September 2016. (Please note JK students presently at CPS do not have to re-register for Senior Kindergarten.)

For students new to our school born between 2003-2010 entering Gr. 1-8, please drop by the office to pick up and complete a registration form. Spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The following original documents must be presented at the time of registration, before the registration is accepted: 1. Original Birth Certificate or Original Statement of Live Birth 2. Proof of residency (property tax assessment, tax bill, offer to purchase or lease) & current Driver’s License. 3. Citizenship and immigration status. (where applicable) 4. Direction of School Support Form and Registration Form. 5. Previous report card if applicable.

If you have neighbours who do not yet have a student at the school and have children born in 2012 please ask them to register ASAP.

A Kindergarten information session of pre-registered students will be held on Thursday, May 12, 2016 from 6:45 - 8 p.m.

Kindergarten Kindergarten -- Grade 8 RegistrationGrade 8 Registration

**** PREPARING FOR 2016-2017 ****

Our preparations for the 2016-2017 school year are underway, and our success depends on accurate projections of the school population. Do you have a younger child at home whom you have not yet registered? Do you have new neighbours who need to register their child? Are you moving to another address within our attendance area? Please check with our Office for required paperwork. Are you moving out of our School area? If you are moving out of our school area, please complete the form below and return it to the School as soon as possible My child(ren), __________________________________________________ (name(s), who is/are in grade(s) _________ (current grade), will not be attending Castlemore Public School in September 2016. We will be moving to__________________________________________ (please provide name of new school, if known). Parent/Guardian Signature__________________________________ Date______________________

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History Made at Castlemore!

The Intermediate Boys Volleyball Team played strong all season long,

leading up to the area meet in November. Going in as a top

contender, the boys played well all day. The first taste of adversity

came in the finals against Unionville. They were able to defeat the

Bulldogs in the 3rd set, making the Tigers back-to-back Area Champi-

ons for 3 yrs.

In December, the Tigers went to the Regional Tournament as a

feared team. They went all the way to the gold medal match, pitting

them against their rivals, Armadale. After winning the first set, they

won handily 25-17 in the 2nd set, giving Castlemore their 1st ever

Regional Volleyball Championship. Congratulations, boys!

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Intermediate Girls Basketball The Intermediate Girls Basketball team was selected back in December and saw a lot of vet-eran players return to lead our Tigers. They played 9 games during the regular season, end-ing up with a record of 4 wins and 5 losses. With a 3rd place finish at the Ashton Meadows tourney, they were showing a lot of promise. The girls finished up their season at the Area tournament on Tuesday, February 23rd, at Unionville High School. After beating Central Park, they were pummelled by the eventual champions in a game to forget. The final game of the season was another loss to an athletic team from Buttonville. Our team has shown a lot of heart and character throughout the season. With a ‘never say die’ attitude, our Tigers worked hard to the bitter end of every game, learning from both their successes and mistakes. Emily T., Sara, Dina, Lizhe, Rachelle, Anjali, Christy, Prisha, Caroline, Carmen, Star

It has been a pleasure working with this group of diverse girls for the past 3 or 4 years. I wish for you all to be successful both on and off the court. ‘And one cheer for Castlemore, Hip hip hooray!!!’ Mr. Inkster

Intermediate Boys Basketball The Intermediate Boys Basketball team played in their area tournament on Thursday, Febru-ary 25th. The boys played extremely well and finished 4-0 in round robin play in a very tough pool. The boys even won a game with a buzzer beating shot from Nihal and a great pass from Dixon. The boys lost a tough game to John McCrae in the semi-finals and finished in 4th place overall. Awesome season Tigers! Mr. Thavarajah

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Reusable lunch bags and containers are an excellent way to reduce, reuse, and recycle! At Castlemore Public School, we are striving to produce less litter in our garbage cans and recycling bins. A Boomerang Lunch is one excellent way for us to reduce and/or divert waste at our school. A Boomerang Lunch may contain throwaway packaging or food leftovers. However, all of the litter and leftovers should be re-turned to the lunch bag and taken home where it is placed in the appropriate bin: compost, garbage or recycling. With Boomerang Lunch programs, whatever comes to school for lunch and snacks, and is not consumed, should go back home. Lunches should be packed in servings that will be completely eaten. To avoid any packaging, all food and drinks should be packed in reusable containers with a reusable lunch bag or box. Boomerang lunches are a wise environmental choice!

BOOMERANG LUNCHES

ECO SCHOOLS

March is Nutrition Month The theme this year for Nutrition Month is Take a 100 Meal Journey. Make small changes one meal at a time. This year, Nutrition Month (March 2016) is dedicated to "supporting Canadians to make small changes to their eating patterns – one meal at a time". The goal of the campaign is to provide information and guidance to make it a little easier for Canadians to choose, eat and enjoy healthy food. You can find all kinds of information and resources for this campaign— http://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-Month/Campaign-Materials.aspx

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The Equity Team at Castlemore this year plans to focus on Social Emotional Learning - this encompases five core categories: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, rela-tionship skills, and responsible decision making. The amount of time spent on each category will depend on the changing needs of our school community throughout this year. Self Awareness: accurately assessing one’s feelings, interests, values, strengths/abilities, and maintaining a well grounded sense of self confidence. Self Management: regulating one’s emotions to handle stress, control impulses, and perse-vere in overcoming obstacles; setting personal and academic goals and then monitoring one’s progress toward achieving them; and expressing emotions constructively. Social Awareness: taking the perspective of and empathizing with others; recognizing and appreciating individual and group similarities and differences, identifying and following socie-tal standards of conduct; and recognizing and using family, school, and community resources. Relationship skills: establishing and maintaining healthy and rewarding relationships based on co-operation; resisting inappropriate social pressure; preventing, managing, and resolving interpersonal conflict; and seeking help when needed . Responsible decision-making: making decisions based on consideration of ethical stan-dards, safety concerns, appropriate standards of conduct, respect for others, and likely con-sequences of various actions; applying decision-making skills to academic and social situa-tions; and contributing to the well-being of one’s school and community. These skills allow children to calm themselves when angry, initiate friendships, resolve relationship conflicts respectfully, and make ethical and safe choices.

EQUITY TEAM

HOME / SCHOOL

COMMUNICATION

The staff at Castlemore is committed to working closely with parents and communicating fre-quently about student progress and issues related to your child to ensure success for every child. The use of student agendas, reporting to parents using the provincial report card, parent/teacher conferences, having parents sign students’ assignments/tests, classroom newsletters, telephone conversations and informal talks with parents are some of the ways our staff communicates with parents. We encourage you to contact your child’s teacher if you would like to discuss his/her progress at school or share information which will help us in working with your child at school. You may use the student agenda, make an appointment for a face to face conversation or con-tact your child’s teacher using our voicemail system.

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