DECEMBER 2015 NEWSLETTER

Peel District School Board

Dolphin Senior Public School 18 Brookside Drive, Mississauga, ON L5M 1H3

TEL: 905-826-4247 FAX: 905-826-9931

http://schools.peelschools.org/1553

“Our Mission is making a difference for all students.”

P. Wilson Principal S. Freemantle Vice-Principal T. Maxwell Office Manager G. Solomon-Henry Superintendent of Schools 905-366-8800 R. Williams Trustee, Ward 5 905-814-6180 R. Crocker Trustee, Ward 6/11 416-528-1312 N. Dakroub Baig Trustee, Ward 9/10 416-528-1312 Transportation www.stopr.ca 905-890-6000 Attendance Check 905-826-4742 ext. 1

Dear Dolphin Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you doing well as we approach the holiday season. The next few weeks is a time to celebrate a variety of cultural celebrations and a time to reflect on the all of the wonderful cultures that make up the Dolphin community.

The students have been engaged in many music, academic and athletic extra-curricular over the past month! From our student staff flag football game to volleyball tournaments, ice hockey tryouts, Caribou math competitions, Terry Fox, school dance among many other great events. Thanks to the Dolphin staff for offering such rich experiences!

As you know we will be having our Winter Concert/Open House/School Council Elections on Wednesday December 9th. School Council elections will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the office. Our Open House will take place from 5:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Please stay around and enjoy our Winter Concert at 7:00 p.m.

The Dolphin Choir Ensemble's rendition of "Crabbuckit" is up on the CBC website. Please view the ensemble’s rendition at https://youtu.be/Qbxp7i8f6X4.

First School Council Meeting will be on Tuesday January 5th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. We will use this time to select our council positions, set the remaining council dates and update the council on school events.

At this time, I would like to remind you of the four Keys to Academic Success at Dolphin: Achievement, Attendance, Attitude and Behaviour. Lately, many students have been coming late for school. It is important that all students arrive at school no later than 8:30 a.m. If your child is arriving after this time, you need to help them break this pattern. Also, please ensure that your child only misses school when they are sick. Try to schedule appointments for after school whenever possible. Student success is directly linked to attendance!

In terms of achievement, one of the best things you can do at this age is to ensure students have structure in their evening that encourages them to read every night.

Peace,

Phil Wilson

Principal’s Message

twitter.com/DolphinSeniorPS

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Let’s Give To Our Community

Dolphin’s Annual Mitten Tree

Dolphin’s Annual Holiday Mitten Tree will be in the front foyer beginning on Tuesday, December 1st until Wednes-day, December 16th, 2015. Families are invited to decorate our tree with new mittens,

scarves, and hats which will be collected by the Salvation Army to distribute to needy children in our

community. THANK YOU in ad-vance for your generosity. Gift tags have been sent home to

attach to a clothing contribution , if you wish.

Dolphin’s Annual Holiday Food Drive

We will be having a Food Drive at Dolphin from Monday, December 7th – Wednesday, December 16th, 2015. All food donations will be

donated to Eden Food For Change (previously Eden Community Food Bank).

Each class will be collecting food donations and can earn House League points.

Thanks in advance for your donations.

Novel Ideas - Books Make Great Gifts!

As the December Break approaches, we would like to remind the Dolphin community that books make won-derful gifts! Whether you will be exchanging gifts with friends and family, or are looking for activities in which your sons and daughters could par- ticipate over the December break, books could play an integral part in these occasions. Through gift-giving or visits to public libraries, opening the world of books to your children could help them de-velop a lifelong love of and passion for reading.

Often, finding the right book for your middle-school aged son or daughter is the key to getting them “hooked”. Nancie Atwell, a well-known educator and researcher, maintains a website that contains up-to-date postings by her interme-diate-level students of their favourite books for the year. The address is http://www.c-t-l.org/kids_recommend.html Perhaps this could be away to begin the search for that perfect book. Of course, don’t hesitate to ask teachers here at Dolphin for great rec-ommendations too.

180:Fuse

180:Fuse was at Dolphin on Saturday, November 21st and it was a great success. The students loved the Giant Games night theme. They rotated through several activities throughout the night including the bubble games station. At the end of the night there was a Championship Bubble Game where the students of the winning team of the night

was decided.

There were 85 students that attended this event. The next event is Decem-ber 12th from 6:30 to 8:30pm.

at Dolphin. Thank you so much to our families for mak-ing 180:Fuse such a big success!

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WINTER CONCERT

Dolphin's Musicians are work-ing hard to prepare for the upcoming Winter Concert which will take place Wednes-day, December 9, 2015 at 7p.m. in the gym. Admission

for families is free, however, we will be collecting non-perishable items for Eden Food For Change and new outdoor gear for our school's "Mitten Tree". We look forward to seeing many parents, family and friends in the audience! After the Friday morning concert all bands and choirs will take a break from rehearsals until mid-January.

Attire: Students who own a blue "Dolphin Music" shirt should wear that shirt with black pants/skirt, black socks/tights, black shoes. Gr. 6 stu-dents and those who are new to our school and haven't been able to buy a music shirt should wear a plain white dress shirt, with "black, black, black" on the bottom.

INCLEMENT WEATHER AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Now that our Canadian winter has arrived, please keep in mind that if school busses are can-celled due to weather condi-tions, Dolphin's morning extra-curricular activities will also be can-celled. Please do not drive your child to school for a practice if school bus-ses are not running.

Dolphin Ski and Snowboard Club Calling all skiers and snowboarders. This year we are

going to run 3 trips to Snow Valley Resort for a fun day of skiing or snowboarding. We will soon be hav-ing a meeting for all interested ad-venturers here at Dolphin. New to

skiing/snowboarding or experienced, a day on the

slopes will be fun and will be a great part of your curriculum. You will have the opportunity to ride to the hill watching a movie while riding a coach bus, ski or snow-board all day then return on the same bus in time for dinner at home. Come on out. Watch teachers struggle down the hill. Get some great exercise. Experience nature in Central Ontario in the winter. You will be up bright and early as busses leave at 7:15 am, and you will be home just in time for dinner as you will need to be picked up from the school by 6 pm. This gives us about 7 hours of ski or snowboard time. Pack a lunch or buy a lunch, Snow Val-ley has cafeteria facilities. Do you need Equipment???Snow Valley rents all the equipment you need, including the helmet. Act fast though. We are limited to the number of seats on a bus, so entry is on a first come, first served basis.

Dolphin Mascot Contest

Dolphin would like to inform you that

our school will be purchasing a mas-

cot costume. The mascot costume

will be used in many occasions such

as, fundraising, sporting, and school

spirit events. Over the next few weeks the Dolphin stu-

dents and staff will be voting and deciding a name for

the mascot.

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Terry Fox Day Activites

Dolphin's annual Terry Fox Run, held Friday November 20th, was a huge success!

Along with the traditional Terry

Fox walk, this year's event included a teacher tricycle race tournament, a pie

in the face raffle, and a dance.

Additional funds were raised through the sale of raffle tickets, which bought students the opportunity to pie a

teacher in the face!

Students used their Toonie For Terry Donation to buy their way into the dance and to vote for the teacher

they thought would win the tricycle races.

Dolphin students demonstrated their generosity by surpassing the school's goal of $1000 and raising a whopping $1502 for the Terry Fox Foundation!

Congratulations to Mr. Anderson, who narrowly defeat-ed Mr. Manzon in the tricycle race tournament! A spe-cial thanks goes out to all staff members that agreed to

be pied as well!

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Help your teen plan for grade 9 course selections for 2016-17

Soon, current grade 8 students will select their courses for grade 9. Before they do, we want to ensure that they have the opportunity to consult with their teachers, guidance counsellor, if applicable, and their parents.

As our partners, families are encouraged to help prepare their teens for course selection. We encourage you to become familiar with the process by creating a myBlue-print account [link “Getting Started Guide” for parents]. Additionally, parents/guardians and students can review Chart Your Course, the Peel District School Board’s com-mon course calendar. This guide will help you under-stand the course selection process and provide infor-mation on the courses and programs offered in Peel sec-ondary schools.

You can also visit myBlueprint, an online planning tool that includes the following:

high school planner for course selection

goal-setting

career spectrum for finding your learning style

occupation planner for exploring careers

post-secondary planner for opportunities after high school

The grade 9 course selection process will be open from Jan. 4 to Jan. 22, 2016. If you have questions or are looking for course suggestions, please contact your teen’s teachers or guidance counsellor.

Special technology offers for Peel board students, parents and staff

Does your child need a computer or tab-let for school? Equity of access to tech-nology is a key priority for the Peel board. That's why we've worked with a number of technology companies to offer discounted devices to Peel families and staff.

Renewed Computer Technology (RCT) offers low-cost, quality refurbished computers to families with a low-income. Quali-fied applicants can purchase:

desktop for $60

laptop for $150 Prices include software, a two-year warranty and tax. For more information, contact RCT directly, call 905-795-0627 or visit their website at www.rcto.ca.

Peel families now have access to the following exclusive offers from VIG So-lutions: Intel Dual Core, 2GB, 160GB computer with a 17-

inch LCD monitor -- $110 10-inch netbook with 1GB ram, 160GB hard drive, Wi-Fi capability and Windows 7 -- $60.

Taxes and shipping will be applied to product costs, and all items come with a six-month warranty. To purchase products, visit www.refurbitstock.ca/peel and enter peelregion before proceeding.

Microsoft

Microsoft offers reduced pricing on select products. For more information, visit http://pdsb.me/1X2RtMF.

The Peel board’s initiatives are part of the on-going effort to create greater equity of access

to technology for Peel students, parents and staff and do not represent an endorsement of any company or product. For all BYOD information, visit www.peelschools.org/aboutus/21stcentury/byod.

Junior Boys and Girls Volleyball On November 23rd, Dol-phin's Junior Boys' and Junior Girls' Volleyball teams participated in a tournament at Mentor Col-lege. Both teams excelled during

the round robin portion of the tournament, finish-

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ing in 2nd place to advance to the playoffs. In the semi-final match, Dolphin's boys knocked off a talented team from Allan A. Martin, while Dolphin's girls ad-vanced to the cham-pionship by defeating the host school. Despite their excellent play, both teams came up just short in the finals, finishing in 2nd place.

Gregg LeRock Concert

The French team at Dolphin SPS is pleased to an-nounce that it will be offering a chance for students

to see Gregg LeRock in concert at the Living Arts Centre on April 25, 2016. There is a limited num-ber of seats--92 places for students--so don't hesi-tate to secure a seat for your child as soon as per-

mission forms are sent out. Tickets will be issued on a first come, first served basis. The cost for this

show is a very reasonable $14.00, which includes admission and bus. Gregg's show is described as

"...a full-on, high energy French lesson, cleverly dis-guised as a rock concert....music that the

kids enjoy and understand." For more, visit his website @ [www.gregglerock.ca/

music.html]www.gregglerock.ca/music.html

Time for school - A parent’s guide to regular school attendance

Elementary school is a wonderful time in the life of a child, a time of great strides in learn-ing and in social and emotional development. Many things affect your child’s success, from the quality of his or her teachers, to the makeup of the class. One of the most im-portant factors is your child’s regular and timely attendance.

Getting to class on time, and avoiding absences, are critical if your child is to get the most out of school. It seems obvious. But the fact is that elementary students tend to miss and av-erage of eight or more school days during the year. What can you as a parent do to help ensure your child’s proper attend-ance?

Is your child missing more? Why does attendance matter? First, understand that getting to school–every day and on time–matters at every level, perhaps even more so in elementary school. That’s because important learning occurs daily, right from the start of class. And because you establish patterns early on. By being punctual and responsible, children are ac-quiring positive habits about school attendance. Some other things to consider:

By being late, children miss important social time with their peers before school begins.

Students who are late often feel embarrassed or self-conscious.

Late arrivals can disrupt the routine of the classroom.

A last-minute rush can be stressful for the child, and get her to school in the wrong frame of mind.

Missing even five or 10 minutes of the day can make it harder for the student to understand the material being taught.

Frequent absenteeism leads to gaps in a child’s skills and knowledge base, cause the child to fall behind his peers and hurt his self-esteem.

Too many missed school days can increase isolation, as the child stands out from her classmates and misses op-portunities to develop socially.

Absenteeism makes it tougher for the child to develop a good rapport with the teachers.

When Time is Ticking Few homes run like clockwork. The morning routine, especial-ly, can be a mad scramble. But there are effective strategies for getting your little one up and out the door on time.

Get your child to bed at a reasonable hour.

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Set realistic and consistent schedules and rules at home. Getting ready for school should be part of the child’s overall routine, something that’s expected of him every day.

The night before school, do whatever is necessary to shave time in the morning, such as setting out clothes, packing lunch, and setting schoolbags at the door.

Have a set morning routine that the child can easily fol-low, i.e washing hands and face, going to the bathroom, dressing, making the bed, brushing teeth, and eating a healthy breakfast.

Avoid any distractions that can slow the child down, like TV or games.

If you’re running late regularly, set your alarm to get up earlier.

Is it a sick day? Children do get sick sometimes – they are still developing natural resistance to certain infections, their hygiene behaviours are still developing and germs spread more easily in a classroom. So some missed school is unavoidable, for the

child’s own well-being, and the protection of her classmates. But there are ways to cut down on sick days.

Teach your child about proper handwashing, after going to the bathroom, playing outside or wiping his nose.

Follow other healthy habits, from eating nutritious food to getting enough sleep.

Some symptoms make school attendance uncomfortable, like a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. But if you’re unsure whether your child is sick enough to miss school, talk to your doctor.

Some children pretend to be sick to avoid school. Ask yourself is the child’s symptoms are vague, (i.e. a head-ache, upset stomach, fatigue), if your child tends to mi-raculously recover just after school starts or ends, or if the illness is happening during stressful times at school or at home. Allowing your child to remain home when there’s no real illness sets a bad pattern.

If you decide to keep your child home, inform the school and keep the child in bed or doing quiet, low-key activi-ties. A day off from school shouldn’t be a holiday, it should be a time to recuperate from illness, so the child can return as soon as possible.

Celebrating Faith and Culture December 2015

December Luut'aa Aboriginal Spirituality

Sunset of December 6 to 14 Chanukah Judaism

December 8 Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) Buddhism

Sunset of December 11 to 30 the month of Masa'il Bahá’í

December 13 Birthday of Imam Agakhan Islam

December 21 Maun Agiyaras or Muanajiyaras Jainism

Eve of December 21 to 22 Yule Wicca

December 22 Tohji-taisai Shinto

Eve of December 22 to 23 Milad-un-Nabi Islam

December 25 Sanghamitta Day Buddhism

December 25 Christmas Christianity and Canada

December 26 Boxing Day Christianity and Canada

December 26 Zarathosht-no-Diso Zoroastrianism

December 26 to January 1 Kwanza African-Canadian communities

December 27 Amitabha Buddha’s Birthday Buddhism

December 28 Birth of Guru Gobind Singh Sikhism

December 31 to January 4 Ghambar Maidyarem Zoroastrianism

December 31 to January 18 the month of Sharaf Bahá’í

Page 8 of 8 December 2015 Dolphin Sr PS Calendar

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 **Reminder to all parents: if you

are taking extra school days for

vacation time, please send a note

to the office. Thank you!**

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

180:Fuse 6:30—8:30 pm

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

Day 4

Day 5 Day 3 Day 2 Day 1

Day 5 Day 3

Day 4

Day 6

Day 2

Day 1 Day 5 Day 4

Locker

Clean Out

Day 6

Winter Break - December 21st to January 1st (Inclusive)

Christmas Day

Winter Break - December 21st to January 1st (Inclusive)

Return to School January 4, 2016

Pizza Day

Pizza Day

Pizza Day

Winter Concert For students

9:45 am Parents are wel-

come!

Gr. 6’s & 678

Skating

Gr. 7’s

Skating

Gr. 8’s & 78C

Skating

Open House

5:45—6:30

Winter Concert

7:00 pm

School Council Elec-

tion 8 am—8 pm

Dolphin Holiday Mitten Tree for Salvation Army

until Dec. 16

Food Drive for Eden Food For

Change until Dec. 16

Picture Retake Day

Recognition Assembly

12:30 p.m.

Progress Reports Go Home

Last day to bring your donations for the Mitten Tree &

Food Drive

Girls & Boys

Volleyball

Tournament

Sr. Boys

Volleyball

Tournament

Sr. Girls

Volleyball

Tournament