March 2019ADMINISTRATION’S MESSAGE

Term I Report Cards went home Friday, February 8. This is a valuable communication between home and school. There are no formal interviewtimes from now until June between teacher and parent. If you have any ques

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tions or concerns, regarding any academic or social progress, please contact your son’s/daughter’s teacher to discuss or arrange a time to meet. Remember when teachersare determining a report card grade, teachers collect evidence collected through observations,conversations (e.g., conferencing, DreamBox, interviews, anecdotal notes, student surveys),and student products (e.g., tests, assignments). In addition, the teacher will consider that someevidence carries greater weight than other evidence. Determining a report card will involve teachers’ professional judgement and interpretation of evidence and should reflect the students’ mostconsistent level of achievement, with special consideration given to more recent evidence. Yourcommunication with us is extremely important. We also recognize that you, as a parent, play a keyrole in your child’s success...thank you for the support. As you look over the Report Card that camehome, we are sure you noted the many accomplishments of your child(ren) during Term One.Please celebrate those successes. As well, discuss with your child ways they can improve his/herwork by using feedback provided by the teacher and his/her peers to set up an action plan in orderto meet these goals.

School Council is hosting the First Family Trivia Night “Are You Smarter then a 4thGrader? on Friday, March 29. Tickets are $5 each which includes a slice of pizza and drink. An

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option for younger students is the choice of a movie. Please see flyer that was sent home for moreinformation. Hope you can be part of this wonderful evening.

Thank you to School Council for providing a lovely Pancake snack for all of our students on Thursday, February 14. We truly appreciated all of the hard work in preparing this treat forthe students and staff.

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Please continue to encourage your son/daughter to use DreamBox online math programs. The programs are excellent to help improve student success in math curriculum areas. Doing the program twice/three times a week for 15 —20 minutes is a great goal for each student. Ifstudents are using the iPad at home the code is: 42cv/power. A hint to remember: make sure the

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lesson is complete before your son/daughter logs off.Another project we just completed is our frames of art displayed in the Library. The art

frames host creative and beautiful works of visual arts done by students.This year, we are bringing Tasty Batter Cookie Dough and more to assist our fundraising

efforts for the Grade 6 Trip and Intermediate (7 and 8) Trip. All orders and payment are due byTuesday, March 19 at 9 am. If interested in ordering, please contact the office.

Please read the article in this newsletter re: Is it Bullyin..or ordinary meanness?Please continue to have open discussions with your son! daughter. We encourage all families tocomplete the School Climate Survey as it will provide feedback to our staff. It is open until Friday, March 29. The link is found on our school webpage.

Each student will be given a stainless steel straw and brush during the month of March.With the increasing climatic changes and the growing concern about the harmful effects of plastic,we are hoping to teach and model the importance of introducing environmentally friendly products.

We continue to encourage Parents/Guardians to contact us if you have any questions orconcerns regarding your sonldaughter or anything else regarding the school.

Wishing all families a wonderful March Break.

R. Findlay and L.PeckAchieving Success Together * Wednesday, March 27

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School Council Meeting 7 p.m.

THE ANNUAL POWER GLEN DANCE-A-THON

Theme: Past, Present and Future

Thursday, April 18 (all day)

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POWER GLEN PUBLIC SCHOOL34 Westland Street, St. Catharines, ON L2S 4C1 T: 905.684.7429 W: http://powerglen.dsbn.org D I ST R I CT

SCHOOL BOARD

047H

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OF NIAGARA

Some upcoming events

* March 4 to Friday March 8

JungleSport for Kindergarten to

Grade 8

* Monday, March 4

Internet Safety Presentation for

Gr 7 & 8

* Wednesday, March 6

Grade 5-8 Presentation from

Nurse Polly

* Friday, March 9

Intermediate Pot Luck Lunch

*Monday March 11 to

Friday, March 15

March Break (No School)

* Monday, March 18

DANCE PL3Y Workshop K-8

* Tuesday, March 19

Cookie Dough Fundraiser Ends

* Thursday, March 21

Grade 8 Graduation Photos a.m.

* Friday, March 22

SK Graduation Photos am.

* Tuesday, March 26

K Trip to White Meadows

* Friday,

March 29

School Council

Trivia Night

from 7-9 p.m.

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— I’

Upcoming Special Lunch Days

March 1, 8, 22 and 29—Pizza

March 4 and 18—Pasta Lunch

March 6, 20 and 27—Urban Craving

March 25—The Feathery

Thank you to our volunteers

for making these special lunch days possible.

NEXT SCHOOL ADVISORY

COUNCIL MEETING

Wednesday, March 27

7:00 p.m.

In the School Library

All parents/ guardians are welcome to

attend. You can find minutes to School

Council meetings on the school website. Your commitment and hard work is greatly appreciated!

Kindergarten 2019

Children who will be four years of age

or older by December31 are eligible

to enroll in Kindergarten starting

September 2019.

Please contact our office to register.

5K GRAD

PICTURES

Friday,March22

(in the .

morning)

GRADE 8GRAD PICTURES

Thursday! March 21 a.m.(in the morning)

Save the date:Grade 8 GraduationTuesday, June 25

March is Nutrition Month

Canada’s new Food Guide was launched January 22! You will see that the new Food Guide is modern, relevant, informed by scientific evidence and reflects the recommendations provided during consultations. It takesa modern approach to communicating dietary guidance to consumers, health professionals and policy makers,using a suite of resources to better serve various uses. Please go to https://food-guide.canada.ca

What else is new?

• Beyond food: Instead of focusing on food groups and servings, the new Guide includes information onwhat to eat and actionable advice on how to eat, including cooking more often and eating meals withothers

• User-focused: The old “all-in-one” tool has been replaced with a suite of online resources developed forvarious users

• Mobile first: The new Guide delivers healthy eating information in a mobile-friendly web application thatis available anytime, anywhere

• Modern visuals and terms: The new Guide uses photography as visuals, and terms that Canadiansalready use when making food choices, such as protein foods, rather than specific food groups

• Evidence: The new Guide is based on the best and latest evidence on food and health. Industry-commissioned reports were excluded to reduce the potential for, or the perception of, conflict of interest.

• Transparency: During the revision process, officials from Health Canada did not meet with representatives from the food and beverage industry

The new Food Guide

• Includes key considerations such as recognition of the importance oftraditional foods for Indigenous Peoples, cultural diversity and environmental sustainability IrJI J1J I(fll

• Acknowledges the additional guidance needed by individuals with specificdietary requirements, steering them to get specialized advice from a dietitian

INDOOR SHOESWith the wet and snowy winter weather conditions, it is even more important for students tohave a pair of indoor shoes at school. The wetfloors can be quite dangerous and students insock feet could easily step on athumbtack. For these reasons andfor the safety of your children,indoor shoes are necessary.

STRESSAdults are not the only people who feel stress. Kids do too.Some stress is normal, but too much is not good for anyone.When kids feel too stressed, they may:

Complain of tummy aches or headaches• Cry or whine a lot• Seem sad or angry• Have trouble sleeping• Not want to go to school• Seem to not care about the things they normally like doing• Have trouble getting along with their family or friends.

You can help your child deal with stress by:• Making sure he/she gets physical activity and time to play• Providing nutritious meals• Spending time with your child, ask him how he/she feels andshow him/her that you love him/her: hugs and kisses will makehim/her feel good. Have fi.m together.• Have bedtime routines to help him/her relax at the end of theday, and make sure he/she gets enough sleep• Start the day with morning routines• Try belly breathing.• Learn to manage jour stressSource: The Psychology Foundation of Canada

DANCEPL3Y—Monday, March 18

All Kindergarten through grade 8 studentswill be participating in a 1 day dance event.Students will be active and learn aboutkeeping fit through dancing as they participate in innovative and interactive dance-fitness programs feature simple moves androutines inspired by chart-topping musicand popular dance styles including Club,House, Hip-Hop, Latin, Reggaeton, Bollywood, Jazz, Funk and more. DANCEPL3Ypromotes positive mental health throughthe Three Rules of PL3Y: Be Positive, BeFun, Be Yourself.

Come prepared to dance with proper gymattire and running shoes on Monday,March 18.

NON-PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONIMPORTANT INFORMATION

If your child requires non-prescription medication atschool (cough syrup, children’s Tylenol, etc.), an Authorization of Administration of Oral/Topical MedicationMUST be completed by the Parent!Guardian. Forms may be obtained from theschool office or the school website underforms. Please note: students are ! to keepnon prescription medication in their backpacks,lockers or lunch bags. All medication shouldbe given to the classroom teacher and shouldbe clearly marked with the child’s full name.

MARCH NEWSLETTER DRAW FOR A PRIZE

My child(ren)

Class(es)_____________________ and I have read the newsletter.

Question: What does your family do to help promote self care?

Thank you for completing (Please return to the Office)

Is It Bullying...Or Ordinary Meanness?What does and doesn’t count as bullying, and why it matters.

The following article provides some valuable insight and information around the topic of bullying and meanness. We are veryproud of the efforts our students have undertaken in addressing bullying and meanness, especially the efforts of our Stand UpTeam. We continue to educate, support and empower our students in addressing this important issue. It is my hope, you will findthis article informative by Eileen Kennedy Moore Ph D (Growing Friendships)If you say the word “buIlyin” in a classroom full of elementary school kids, here’s what happens: Hands shoot up. Everyone hasa story about how someone bullied him or her.Bullying is a serious problem that can have devastating effects. As a clinician, I’ve seen more than a few adult clients brought totears by memories of horrifying peer abuse. I’ve seen kids who feel frightened or wounded by their peers’ cruel words or actions,and parents who feel angry or helpless in the face of their child’s victimization by other kids.I’m glad that there’s much more awareness now that bullying is not just “normal” kid behavior or a rite of passage, and that entirecommunities need to work actively to prevent bullying.But sometimes the “B word” is thrown around too casually.

Definition of BullyingResearchers have a very specific definition of bullying: Bullying involves deliberate, aggressive acts targeting a particular individual repeatedly, over time, (although some researchers also count a single severe aggressive act), AND it involves a power difference between the bully and the target. In other words the bully is bigger, stronger, tougher, or more socially powerful than theperson being bullied, which makes it difficult or impossible for targets of bullying to defend or protect themselves.A lot of what children call bullying is really just ordinary meanness, because there’s no power difference.I want to be very clear about something: I’m not advocating or defending or excusing bullying or any form of meanness. But I dothink that calling every unkind act “bullying” is not helpful.When we fail to distinguish between bullying and ordinary meanness, we trivialize the very serious cases of peer abuse. Also,calling every act of meanness bullying sends an unhealthy message: It says to kids, “You’re fragile. You can’t handle it if anyoneis even slightly unkind to you.”A child’s distress is not the only measure of bullying. For instance, Hearing peers yell, “You’re out! Yes, you are!” in a game of

kickball might be very upsetting for a child who doesn’t believe she’s out, but it’s probably not bullying. It’s something she needsto learn how to handle. We could comfort her, we could teach her coping strategies, but labeling the other kids “bullies” won’thelp her leam to deal with frustration or manage conflicts.

Meanness is Common Among KidsAnyone who has spent substantial time with children knows that they are often mean to each other. Debra Pepler at York University and her colleagues, video recorded the playground behavior of children in 1st through 6th grade whose teachers had identifiedthem as either especially aggressive or especially nonaggressive. On average, the aggressive children did some form of mean behavior about every two minutes. But those carefully selected nonaggressive children averaged a mean behavior every threeminutes!

Even kids who consider themselves best friends sometimes behave in unkind ways. Preschool and young elementary schoolfriends average just under three conflicts an hour. An observational study of third- through sixth-graders by Steven Asher and hiscolleagues found a cringe-worthy list of 32 different ways that kids reject each other. This included everything from hitting andkicking, to lengthy arguments along the lines of”Nuh-uh!”/”Uh-huh!” Some forms of rejection were blatant, such as refusing tolet someone sit at a lunch table or announcing “You can’t be in our club!” Others were more ambiguous. Teasing could be friendlyor mean-spirited. Refusing an offer of food could reflect disinterest in that food or concern about “cooties.” Impulsivity, immatureproblem-solving skills, difficulty managing feelings, limited perspective-taking ability, following the crowd, or just experimentingwith social power are all factors that could lead kids to do mean things.Any of these behaviors could be upsetting for a child, and they’re certainly not desirable ways to act, but they only “count” as bullying if there’s a power difference between the kids. True bullying is a serious problem that requires intervention from adults. Ordinary meanness is common. It’s something that kids need to be able to handle (with encouragement and support from caringadults, if necessary) AND to learn to avoid doing themselves.We adults haven’t managed world peace or even perfect marriages, so it’s unrealistic to think that our children will always be perfectly kind to each other. And yet, kindness is a worthy goal. As parents, we can help our children cope with the meanness thatthey will inevitably encounter. And, even more important, we can try to guide them toward more caring responses to their peers.

Fighting Bullying By Helping Kids Look At Their Own ActionsKids are quick to condemn bullies, but they have trouble seeing the impact of their own behavior.Psychologist Brent Harger found that 5th graders often believed in a false dichotomy between bullies and nonbullies. They assumed that bullies were always mean and since they themselves weren’talways mean, they couldn’t possibly be bullies. They dismissed anti-bullying messages in theirschools as “not relevant for them.” They looked at the signs and slogans condemning bullying andthought, “Those bad kids should stop that!” They also believed that joking, retaliating, or makingfun of younger students doesn’t “count” as bullying.The key to bullying prevention is not protecting the “good” children from the “bad” bullies; it’shelping all children learn to behave in kinder ways. Addressing ordinary meanness paves the waytoward more caring communities.

Dental Screening Coming to Power Glen

A Public Health registered dental hygienist is scheduled to visit Power Glen School April 16 and 17, 2019 to providetal screening to all students as required under the Health Protection and Promotion Act.

During this time, the registered dental hygienist will perform a quick visual inspection of each student’s teeth to determine their dental needs. Parents will be notified if their child requires immediate dental care. The Healthy Smiles Ontario program may financially assist eligible children who do not have access to required dental care.

In addition to dental screening, JK/SK students have an opportunity to receive an optional free fluoride varnish application if they have returned a signed consent form

Please contact the Public Health dental program if you wish to exclude your child from dental screening at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7399 or email dentaniagararegion.ca.

Vision Screening Coming to Power Glen

The provincial government has rolled out a new vision screening program for SEC (year 2) students which began in the2018/2019 school year. Niagara Region Public Health is partnering with the Lions Club to perform vision screening atPower Glen School on April 17, 2019.

During this time trained volunteers from the Lions Club, with completed vulnerable sector checks, will perform three,non-invasive vision screening tests to detect possible issues in a child’s vision. Parents will be notified with the results oftheir child’s vision screening.

Learningat PG

- RocketlaunchingGrade 8- Well Being-Coding withDSBN IT-Workingwith BrockUniversitystudents- Art framesthe Library-Lamb visit toGrade 6

Please contact the Public Health School Health program if you wish to exclude yourchild from vision screening at 905-688-8248 ext. 7379 or email jsion(äniagarare2ion.ca

Please note that yearly eye exams with an eye doctor are free for children with a validOHIP card until they turn 20 years old. To find an eye doctor near you, visitfindaneyedoctor.ca

.—

Amazing things are happening at PG such as:Science Fest, Beauty and the Beast Rehearsals, Mystic Drumz, Smash Art Club, PancakeTreat, 100th Day of School, BasketballPresentation, well-being strategies in theclassroom and much much more.

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Canada’sfood guide Eat well. Live well.

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Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat

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Eat a variety of healthy foods each day

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Discover your food guide at

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Canada’sfood guide

Healthy eatingrecommendations

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Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat. It Is also about where, when,why and how you eat.

Be mindful of your eating habits

a Taketimetoeat

a Notice when you are hungry and when you are full

Cook more often

a Plan what you eat

• Involve others in planning and preparing meals

Enjoy your food

• Culture and food traditions can be a part of healthy eating

Eat meals with others

Make it a habit to eat a variety of healthy foods each day.Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods. Choose protein foods thatcome from plants more often.

a Choose foods with healthy fats instead of saturated fat

Limit highly processed foods. If you choose these foods, eat them less often and in small amounts.Prepare meals and snacks using ingredients that have little to no added sodium, sugars orsaturated fat

a Choose healthier menu options when eating out

Make water your drink of choicea Replace sugary drinks with water

Use food labels

Be aware that food marketing can influence your choices

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performance. What’s more, research shows thattoday’s kids are getting less sleep than children frompast generations. And certain aspects of modern life,such as heavy use of cellphones, computers and otherelectronic devices, are interfering with the amount ofsleep children get. But there are some things you cando to encourage your children to get the sleep theyneed.

• Set regular bedtimes for your kids and consistentbedtime routines. This helps young childrendevelop a sort of rhythm for sleep and waking.

• Try to get your children off the computer (and otherscreens) at least an hour before bedtime.Computers, televisions, tablets and cellphones (andthe light they emit) stimulate the brain in ways thatmake it harder for kids to feel ready for sleep.

• Help your child wind down before bedtime. Dosomething relaxing together— read stories, listen toquiet music or do some belly breathing (deep, slowbreathing that helps to reduce anxiety and stress).

• Encourage your child to get exercise earlier in theday. Research shows that children who arephysically active during the day fall asleep fasterand get more sleep than kids who spend a lot oftime sitting.

Teens and Sleep: A big challenge

Do you have a teenager who seems driven to stay uplate and has trouble getting up in the morning? It’snormal. And it’s not just a bad habit. Teenagers’internal clocks work differently, and that makes ithard for them to feel sleepy at the time when wethink they should be going to bed. And yet, manyteens are chronically short of sleep. That can affecttheir mood, school performance, and more.

What can you do about it? Frankly, this is a tough onefor parents. Here are a few strategies that might help:

In Support of the Psychology Foundation of Canada

• Have a weekday bedtime and a curfew onweekends. Of course, you can’t make kids sleep,but having a time when they need to be in theirrooms, preferably without a cellphone, computer,tablet or gaming console, may help them winddown for sleep. A set bedtime also gives them themessage that you think sleep should be a priority.

• Don’t make sleep a battleground. Basically, youcan’t win. But do talk to your teenagers about whysleep is important, and encourage them (withoutnagging) to get enough. Do some researchtogether. Here’s a website you can visit together tolearn more about how sleep promotes learning andoverall health.

• Let them sleep in on weekends. Some expertsdiscourage sleeping in, saying it creates a sort of jetlag. Perhaps, but teenagers do need to catch up ontheir sleep somehow and for most, weekendmornings are the easiest time to do it. It’s probablybest to get them up before noon, though, to avoidinsomnia troubles Sunday night.

• Have a “no cellphones in bed” policy. Studies showthat a surprising number of teenagers send andreceive text messages at times when they should beasleep. Some are even woken up by text messagesfrom their friends. Make nighttime the time wheneveryone (including you) charges cellphones.

REMEMBER WHEN your parents used to tell you toget to bed because you needed your sleep? Well,they were right. Research has shown that not gettingenough sleep can have an impact on children’sbehaviour, emotional well-being and school

Sleep and screens are a bad combination.

EVERYMINDMATTERS.ORG In Support of the Psychology Foundation of Canada

THIRTY YEARS AGO, experts were

concerned about the amount oftelevision children were watching.These days, the concern is not justtelevision, but all screen time,” whichincludes video games, tablets,computers, cell phones and otherdevices. A recent survey shows thatCanadian preteens average six to sevenhours of screen time a day. That doesnot leave much time for other thingsthat growing children need to do, likeplaying outdoors, reading books andinteracting with people face-to-face.

Reducing children’s screen time is a challenge, butit pays off. Less screen time is linked to better behaviour, better school achievement, more physicalactivity and less risk of being overweight. Considerwhether any of these strategies will work for yourfamily:

• Set restrictions on your children’s screen time. Evenif you can’t meet the two hours a day some expertsrecommend, research shows that children whoseparents set some limits have less screen time thanchildren whose parents set no limits.

• Have screenless meals. Kids (and adults) don’t reallyneed to be answering texts, checking Facebook orwatching TV at the dinner table. Why not makemealtime family time?

• Set a good example. Don’t text or watch TV duringmeals or while you are playing with your kids.

• Take TV out of the bedroom. Children who haveTVs in their bedrooms log more time on TV andvideo games.

• Put cell phones away at night. When preteens andteens take their cell phones to bed, they get lesssleep as a result. Make it your family policy to park(or charge) cell phones at night.

• Offer fun alternatives to screen time. Children enjoyphysical activity and playing with friends. Butsometimes they need adult help to think of funthings to do or to make them possible.

• Trade it. Consider having children earn screen timeby doing more desirable activities, such as playingoutside, playing with friends, reading, or exercising.

Many parents share experts’ concern about the typeof material children today are exposed to. Youngchildren don’t have the ability to understand andprocess the violent, frightening or sexualized contentof some television programs, videos and films.

• Make it clear to your children what types of mediacontent are not acceptable. Make use of parentalcontrols if necessary. This will reduce your child’sexposure to inappropriate content.

• Watch with your children. Talking to children abouttroubling media content can reduce its negativeimpact.

REMEMBER that children needs lots of face-to-faceinteraction in order to develop social skills, emotionalskills and thinking skills. Screens should not takepriority over face-to-face activities.