McKay Public School

320 Fielden Ave. Principal: Mrs. Lott

Port Colborne, ON Vice-Principal: Mrs. Hemauer

L3K 4T7 Secretaries: Mrs. Serabian, Mrs. Quesnel

905-834-4753 Website: mckay.dsbn.org

A MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE…

February has been a busy month! The weather certainly kept things interesting with

freezing temperatures, snow storms, and lots of wind! The students have all settled back

into routines and we are all hoping that the spring weather arrives sooner, rather than

later.

Please join us in welcoming, Mrs. Quesnel as our new secretary at McKay. She comes to

us from Oakwood, so she is quite familiar with our staff, students, and community

already. We are very excited to have her at McKay!

As a staff, we continue to promote respect and responsibility. We are very proud of our

students and their efforts. We see evidence of global citizenship in our school as

students participate in activities like Eco-Club, Pink Shirt Day, MS Read-A-Thon, school-

based fundraisers, and Fair Trade initiatives. In addition, we are happy to share that

Powerhouse has returned to work with some of our younger students. Our sports clubs

and teams continue to excel, and the students work so hard at trying their best.

Intermediate basketball seasons are wrapping up and gymnastics has started at recess

breaks. We would like to thank our staff leaders and coaches for their dedication to our

students’ well-being.

School Climate Survey: The DSBN School Climate Survey is an opportunity for students in

Grades 4-12 and parents to provide information about their experiences of well-being,

acceptance, inclusion and school safety. It is a web-based survey that is designed to be

anonymous. A summary report will be available for schools to use for goal-setting and

planning purposes. Parents are reminded to complete this optional survey by Friday,

March 29th. This is available via a “School Climate Survey” link on the school’s website.

MARCH

Pizza Days: 6, 20

Sub Day: 27

March 5: Eco-Summit,

Krispy Kreme

fundraiser begins for

Int. students

March 8: KDG to Sugar

Bush, Scientists in

Schools

March 11- 15: March

Break

March 20: End of MS

Read-A-Thon

March 26: Gr. 8

Graduation Photo Day,

SAC @ 6:30pm,

Fluoride clinic JK/SK

March 27: KDG (Jones)

to the library, Krispy

Kreme orders are due

March 29: Recognition

Assembly (Primary –

9:00am, J/I – 9:45am)

Mad Science, the world’s leading provider of educational and entertaining science programs for

children is coming to McKay School! They will be getting kids excited about science with fun,

entertaining and exciting activities and demonstrations.

Mad Science came to the school and did a spectacular science show. The assembly was

educational, entertaining and it also kicked-off the Mad Science Club.

The Club is a 6-week science enrichment program offered to the students. Students who join

the Science Club will go on a voyage of discovery designed to support the Ontario Science and

Technology curriculum. The topics will be different this year than when Mad Science was last at

the school. The Club will take place on Tuesday, Mar 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23 from 12:50 PM -

1:35 PM. Mad Science also performs Birthday Parties, Camps and Special Events. Give them a

call at 905-937-1878 and watch out for them in Malls, at Fairs, Festivals and Scouts and Guides.

TRY AT HOME ACTIVITY - ZOOM BALL

Materials:

• Two 1 litre plastic pop bottles

• Scissors

• Optional: Coloured construction paper

• Masking tape

• Ribbons

• Two plastic ring six pack holders

• Two 2.4 metre strings • An adult helper

1. Ask your adult helper to cut the bottoms off of the two plastic pop bottles.

2. Fit the bottles together so there is a neck on either end. Tape the bottles together to form a football shape.

3. Cover the bottles with construction paper and ribbon if you want to decorate your zoom ball.

4. Take the six-pack holders and cut the rings apart to make four two-loop handles.

5. Thread the two strings through the bottles.

6. Tie a set of handles to the ends of each string.

7. Get at friend and you are ready to play. Each player holds onto two handles and pulls on the strings until they are tight. Slide the zoom ball to one end. When it is at your end snap your hands apart to send the zoom ball back to your friend. To catch the zoom ball, keep your hands together.

EXPLANATION:

The pushing action of the strings sets the zoom ball in motion. When the zoom ball reaches the other end of the strings, an opposite pushing action, your friend snapping the strings, stops the ball for a moment and then sends it in the reverse direction.

Parking at McKay We are hoping that with the warmer weather coming, that we will have more families opting to walk

their children to school. If you must drive, please refrain from parking in spaces that are designated

as staff parking (primary parking lot). Additionally, please be courteous of others by not taking up

more than one space and avoid blocking the flow of traffic. Thank You!

Dreambox Learning

McKay School has purchased DreamBox Learning’s Math Program. This is an exciting and fun online

math program that helps all students achieve better, faster math proficiency. Your child can access

DreamBox from any computer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is no software to download. All

you need is a high‐speed internet connection and Adobe Flash. Adobe Flash is free and is included

with many internet browsers. The link to use from home is:

https://play.dreambox.com/login/42cv/mckayp

You can also receive additional support by contacting DreamBox Client Care at 877‐451‐7845 or

email support@ dreambox.com.

Cellphone Policy

At McKay, we recognize the fact that many of our students bring cell phones to school, and that

parents may prefer that their children have phones with them on the way to and from school for safety

reasons. We certainly support anything that contributes to the safety and well‐being of our students.

We also take into consideration that cell phones can have a negative impact if they are misused in the

school environment. A student with access to a cell phone during a lesson can become distracted

from his or her learning, and there have been numerous accounts of students texting parents and

other students during class.

Our policy is to allow students to bring cellphones to school, provided that the phones remain out of

sight and are not used on school property without teacher approval. If students have their cellphones

out, without teacher knowledge or consent, they will be collected and returned to the student at the

end of the day. Repeated instances of inappropriate cellphone use will result in contact with home.

Additionally, parents will be required to collect the phone from the office; it will not be turned over to

the student or an older sibling. If a student needs to call home, they will be allowed to use the school

phone. Parents should call the school directly if they need to contact their child(ren).

Thank you for your support!

Intermediate Basketball

The Intermediate Girls’ Basketball team forged their way through a very difficult

basketball season this year to end up as second place overall in league play, and

P.C.H.S. Tournament champions. Your hard work, dedication and coachable skills

paid off. Way to go!! ~Mr. Mitchell

Fair Trade at McKay

Our Fair Trade Committee has been working on coming up with exciting new lessons

and presentations for our primary and junior classes, just in time for spring. We are

also looking forward to helping out at the annual Top Hat Ceremony held on Friday, March 22nd at 8:00

a.m. at Lock 8 Park to celebrate the official opening of the canal for the 2019 season. This is a public

event hosted by the City of Port Colborne and Port Colborne Fair Trade Committee. Come and enjoy

locally sourced pancakes, Bodner’s sausages, Agape Valley maple syrup, Level Ground coffee, and Fair

Trade tea and hot chocolate. Students from McKay will be providing musical entertainment, as well as

speeches about the benefits of Fair Trade and how we can all make a difference.

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make” -

Jane Goodall

Eco-Schools Update

After our presentation by the Region about recycling, McKay started

collecting organics in our classrooms and the teachers' lunchroom. Some

people think it's stinky, but we think it's awesome for the

environment! We are working on getting better at rinsing out containers

before they go in the blue box, and at knowing what can or cannot be

recycled. We are also separating plastic bags from the waste stream. In

April we will have a Bag2School fundraising campaign. Any clean clothing in reasonable condition, shoes

(tied together, please), belts, purses, handbags and other soft bags are accepted. They will either reuse

or recycle it, and McKay will receive money by weight, so the more, the better! Please keep this in mind

when you are cleaning out your closets. More information to follow! We had fun making

“climoji” cupcakes (emojis for climate change). ~Mme Suk

Reminder: Student Safety

In an effort to keep our students as safe as possible, we remind parents and guardians to report to the

front office when picking up your child(ren) during school hours.

1. At the beginning and end of the day, we ask that parents/guardians drop off and pick up your child(ren)

in the designated areas outside of the school.

2. The equipment and school yard are supervised by staff starting at 8:40am. Students should not be

arriving at school until supervision is present on the yard.

3. Parents/Guardians should not be in the school hallways during school hours. Please drop off and/or

pick up your child from the office during school hours.

Thank you for your help in keeping McKay Public School a safe place for all our staff and students.

March is Nutrition Month

Fruits and veggies are not only delicious, but they are

nature’s fast food! Ready to eat and most come in their

own “to-go” packages. Produce makes the perfect snack for

kids to grab and go. They need minimal to no preparation

and buying ones in season means you can save some money

and shop smarter.

Think you can’t get much produce on a tight budget? Here are some tips to make shopping for produce more easy

and affordable:

• Don’t shop when you’re hungry and carry a list. You’ll be more likely to stick to your budget and nutritious food

choices. • Look for washed and bagged salads, baby carrots, celery hearts, broccoli and cauliflower crowns, cherry

tomatoes, and shredded cabbage in your grocery store • Buy fresh produce, like peaches or bananas, in varying

degrees of ripeness to allow for some ripening towards the end of the week • Canned and frozen vegetables can

be convenient choices • Spend most of your time in the produce, bread, meat and dairy sections • Use store flyers

to help you find specials

See more at: http://www.halfyourplate.ca/produce-isaffordable

Pink Shirt Day at McKay

We are proud of the staff and students who chose to wear pink on Feb. 27. Many activities took place

throughout the week to remind students to be kind and inclusive at McKay and in our community.

Many classes read friendship-related books, wrote letters and poems, completed art activities, and held

class discussions. We encourage everyone to practice kindness to symbolize that you do not tolerate

bullying not just on Pink Shirt Day, but on any day!

Kindergarten Registration

It’s not too late to register for Kindergarten at McKay PS. If your child turns four before December 31,

2019, please come in to the school and register for kindergarten. We would be happy to provide you

with a tour and a registration package. Alternatively, you can call the school for more information.

Krispy Kreme Fundraiser

Our intermediate students are busy getting ready for their big Camp

Wahanowin trip scheduled for June. We already had one fundraising

initiative, our pasta lunch. It was a huge success, thanks to all of our

parent volunteers. We are very excited to offer an individual fundraiser

that will take place over the next few weeks. Intermediate students

will be able to pre-sell Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Each box is $10 and

the profit per box is $5. Order slips go home on March 5. The order forms, along with the money (no

post-dated cheques, please) are due at the office by Wednesday, March 27. Students will need to be

pick up their orders for distribution on April 5th at the school between 8:00am – 5:00pm.

MS Read-A-Thon

Your child recently brought home their MS Read-A-Thon student kit. The MS Read-A-

Thon is a literacy and MS awareness program that promotes recreational reading while

raising money for people who live with MS and supporting research into a cure.

The Read-A-Thon runs until March 20th. Which gives students lots of time to curl up

with some great books over the March break!

MS Facts

• Multiple Sclerosis is classified as an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord)

• MS is unpredictable and can cause symptoms such as extreme fatigue, lack of coordination, weakness, tingling, impaired sensation, vision problems, bladder problems, cognitive impairment and mood changes

• Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world • Canadians as young as 2 have been diagnosed with MS • Women in Canada are diagnosed with MS three times more often than men • Canada is a leader in MS research

How students can register online:

• With a parent or guardian, visit msreadathon.ca and click Find My School. • Select Join As a New Participant or Returning User. • Search school name (McKay) and click Join. • Register as Student and set a fundraising goal. • Fill out the registration form and then click Access Your Participant Centre to

start fundraising.

Attention Grade 8 Students!!!

Mark your calendars…Graduation Photo Day is

scheduled for Tuesday, March 26th, 2019.