Principal: Ms. Jillian Lewis - Head Teacher: Mrs. Karen McCormack - Admin Assistant: Mrs. Giannina Rakic

February 2018

Tiger Times

At Brentwood Park we have been working hard to explore and develop growth mindsets with our students and in ourselves. When students believe they can get better at anything and everything, they understand that effort makes them stronger. Therefore they put in extra time and effort, and that leads to higher achievement. With a growth mindset we are all more likely to embrace challenges and persist despite failure.

Read on to learn more …

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Brentwood Park Elementary 1455 Delta Ave, Burnaby, BC 604-296-9003

brentwoodpark.info@sd41.bc.ca http://brentwood.sd41.bc.ca Newsletter: Mrs. Karyn Carr

TAKE A STAND AGAINST BULLYING

The last Wednesday of February, is known as Anti-Bullying Day across Canada. It's also known as "Pink Shirt Day" and was originally started as a protest against a bullying incident at a Nova Scotia high school On this day participants are asked to wear pink to symbolize a stand against bullying. On Wednesday February 28, 2018 the students and staff of the Brentwood

Park school community will participate in Pink Shirt Day!

Over the next few weeks, the students will be learning about what bullying is and isn’t, how to take steps to prevent bullying, and how to deal with it if it occurs. Some of our students have created anti-bullying messages to spread the word about bullying and why it is important to take a stand against it. Previously, the Burnaby School District sent home an open letter to families informing you of the policies and practices that are in place to

keep our schools and our students safe.

“It is important to note that name calling, putdowns, insults, and pushing or rough play are not necessarily bullying behaviours. These acts can often be part of a child’s developmental process as they learn to manage emotions and frustrations in social situ-ations. However, if these problems persist, bullying behaviour

can develop.

Bullying is repeated aggressive behaviour with negative intent, directed from one childe to another where there is a power imbalance. Threat-making and intimidation are expressions of intent to do harm or act out violently against someone or some-thing. A threat can be spoken, written, symbolic or over the

internet.”

Our school code of conduct states behavioural expectations and outlines age appropriate consequences for unacceptable behaviour. When unac-ceptable behaviours are reported at school, teachers and the principal im-mediately respond by investigating the concern. A support plan is put in place for the student harmed by these behaviours. Depending on the cir-cumstances, the student who has displayed inappropriate behaviours might be referred to counselling, restorative justice practices or receive an in-

school or out-of-school suspension.

It is important to remember that not all unacceptable behaviours meet the criteria of bullying. Sometimes children and adults use the word “bullying” to describe any inappropriate behaviour that is hurtful. In reality, inci-dences of bullying, harassment and intimidation, while they do occur, are extremely rare in the Brentwood Park community, and in the Burnaby School District as a whole. If your child informs you of any behaviours that are of concern, we encourage you to report these immediately to our school principal, Ms. Lewis. Our school community is committed to ensuring that

Brentwood Park is a safe and caring learning environment for all!

Top Ten Tips on How to Beat The Bullying!

1. Walk Tall – Try not to act scared. Practice

“walking tall” with shoulders back and head held

high.

2. Develop Self-Confidence – Be positive. Learn

new skills. Get involved with people and

activities that make you feel good about who you

are. Remember, everyone is really good at

something!

3. Start A School Program – Make sure that your

school has an anti-bullying program with tips on

how to deal with bullying incidents. If not, talk to

your teacher or school principal about starting

one. Hold staff and student meetings on a

regular basis to review any issues.

4. Tell A Friend – Always tell a friend or an adult

you trust about bullying. Having someone on

your side will help you stand up for your rights.

5. Walk Away – If possible, ignore the bully or say

“No” and walk away. The bully is often seeking

attention.

6. Ignore The Teasing – Try not to react to the

bullying and teasing. If you act like you don’t

care, the bully might get bored and give up.

7. Don’t Fight Back – The most dangerous thing

you can do when confronted by a bully is to fight

back. Bullies are generally stronger than their

targets. By fighting back, you could make

matters worse.

8. Give Up Your Possessions – If the situation is

getting dangerous, if the bully is much bigger

and stronger than you are, or if he/she has a

weapon, then it would be smart to give him what

he wants. Material things can be replaced; you

cannot.

9. Stick With Others – Try not to be alone in

places where you could be unsafe – such as an

empty schoolyard, a dark alleyway or a school

washroom. If possible, try to stick with a group.

Bullies tend to pick on those who are all alone.

10. Remember, Bullies Have Feelings, Too – Like

everyone else, bullies have feelings, too. Try to

see beyond the bully’s scary face and words and

think about what is missing in his/her life to

make him/her act so cruelly.

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ARE YOUR CHILD’S IMMUNIZATIONS UP TO DATE FOR KINDERGARTEN? Vaccines are a healthy choice for your child. They provide immunity and prevent disease. Two vaccines are provided free for Kindergarten-age children: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Per-

tussis (whooping cough), Polio (DTaP-IPV) @

Varicella (Chickenpox) *a second dose is new since January 2012

You will be receiving a letter from your local Public Health Unit if your child has not received these vaccines or if the health unit does not have up to date information regarding the immunizations your child has received. Please complete and return these forms to your local Public Health Unit or school (attention School Nurse) ASAP. If your child is not up to date for immunizations please call your local Health Unit or Family Physician and arrange an appointment.

REGISTRATION INFO FOR THE 2018-2019 YEAR

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONS

If you live in the Brentwood Park catchment area, please come into the office to register your child. For fur ther in formation on Kindergarten reg is t ra t ions , please vis i t our schools webs i te: http://brentwood.sd41.bc.ca/ Choose the “Parents” tab and scroll down to the bottom and find the “District information” section. To check which school serves your address choose “School Locator”. For a list of the information that you will need to bring with you when you register, and to download the registration forms, please choose “Registration”. GRADE 7 STUDENTS HEADING TO HIGH SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER 2018 Brentwood Park grade 7 students will automatically be registered for grade 8 at the secondary school within the designated attendance area where the student resides. If you have moved, you must provide the school with two valid pieces of address confirmation. As all the registration process is done through the elementary school there is no need for parents to contact the secondary school. In the event you wish your child to attend a secondary school other than your attendance area school, you must fill out a cross district application form signed by your current school principal in order to be considered for admission to that school. CROSS-DISTRICT / OUT-OF-DISTRICT APPLICATIONS FOR ALL GRADES (KINDERGARTEN — GR. 7) Cross-District and Out-Of-District applications will be accepted from February 1st to February 28th. Parents are also asked to register at their attendance area school. Cross-District, Out-of-District and District Pro-gram applicants will be notified of the status of their applications within March. Applications received after February 28th will be placed, according to their admissions category, on a school or district program waiting list that will be maintained and valid until September 30th of the new school year.

Looking for a great place to grab dinner while helping the Grade 7 grads fundraise? Every Tuesday in the month of February when you dine at Stan’s Pizza they will donate 10% of the total bill to the grad fundraising Stan’s has been making world class pizza for 10 years. They’ve added all new dine-in seating, big screen HDTV’s and a licensed bar with a great atmosphere. Come watch a hockey game, grab a great dinner and support Brentwood Park Grad Committee.

4527 Hastings Street 604-298-5711

Don’t forget to tell your server that you are from Brentwood Park School.

Thank you to the Brentwood Park Community for supporting and participating in our Readathon and Family Literacy Day for the 13th year. Our success is measured by the fun we had as well as the laughter, games and togetherness we all felt. Thank you for all the pledges and support. Look for exciting literacy initiatives and additions to our library

collection and space in the months to come.

Readathon 2018

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CALLING ALL BRENTWOOD PARK GRANDPARENTS!

Grandparents Day is coming up on Thursday February 8th! It’s a morning where we invite Grandparents to come and spend some time with their grandchildren in class and then go down to the gym for some cof-fee/tea/treats, a performance or two from classes, and a fun photo booth!

9:00-10:30

Grandparents in-class visit

10:30-11:30

*Some Grandparents may choose to go outside with their grandchil-

dren for Recess*

Grandparents to gym for treats and photo booth *grandparents can

come and get their grandchildren for a photo.

We hope you can join us!

PAC CORNER

REPORTING ABSENCES Regular attendance and prompt arrival at school is important if your child is to gain full benefit from the school program. If your child is going to be away for any reason, please call the school office before 9:00am to confirm his/her absence. Leave a message on the answering machine with the following information: 1. Child’s first and last name (please spell

last name) 2. Teacher and Division 3. Absent or late (please give anticipated

arrival time) If we do not hear from you, we will call home to ensure your child’s safety.

Thank-you to all those who braved the rain and made it out to our last PAC meeting! PAC is helping the school purchase new AV equipment for the gym and Ms. Lewis filled us in on what’s been happening at Brentwood. PAC meeting minutes are posted on the school website. We didn’t make the January newsletter deadline so belated and heartfelt thanks to a few of our parents who went above and beyond to help make the Win-ter Gift Raffle and Santa Breakfast wonderful successes. Our energetic raffle helpers: Tara Niccoli, Sampson Low, Pauline Rilcof, Krista Rasmussen, Jennifer Wong, Karina Power-Otero, Vernon Loo, Irene Kawaha-ra, Becky Slate-Liu, Mary Tsang, Debbie Mah, Krissie Helfrich, Rob Kolen, and Carolyn Siu. Santa Breakfast was a blitz of fun! Our 7am kitchen crew is new this year but it was a beautiful precision operation. The unseen elves responsible for cooking were Wendy & Chad Haile, Ed & Janine Asahina, Cam Carter, Jen Wong, Diana Burg, Darrell Wong, Rod & Irene Kawahara-Hsu, Raquel Do. Of course, so many more came out to help serve at tableside. We also thank Susie Pruss for donating the juice boxes. Terry & Alyssa Chang, Karina & Fergus Power-Otero deserve recognition for helping re-set the stage as Santa’s Workshop for visits with the students. Such amazing team work, everyone! The PAC’s Social Committee has begun turning its sights to the Spring Social! Please save the date for Friday May 11th, 2018. If you would like to be in-

volved in planning and organizing, please email brentwoodpac@gmail.com.

Nominations for Brentwood’s PAC Executive will be held in April and voting will occur at the May PAC meeting. If you are interested in being apart of our hard-working and dedicated executive, please email us your intention or put your name forward at the April meeting. See the table below for a list of PAC executive and non-executive positions. Upcoming PAC meetings: Feb. 28, April 25 and May 30. A funding re-allocation vote will take place at Feb. 28th meeting. We encourage all interested parents / guardians to participate and help shape these decisions that affect school life for all our kids. All the best, Margo, Donna, Kamal, Sharron, and Connie Brentwood Park PAC Executive

brentwoodpac@gmail.com

PAC Executive Positions 2017-2018 Co-Chair (Margo, VACANT) Co-Treasurer (Sharron, Kamal) Secretary (Connie) District PAC Rep. (Donna)

Non-Executive Roles 2017-2018 Social Committee Lead (Raquel) Grade 7 Committee Lead (Deb) Fundraising Committee Lead (VACANT) Hot Lunch Coordinator (Vernon) Fruit and Veggie Coordinator (Amy) Emergency Preparedness Committee Lead (Chris and Alex)

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COMMUNITY INFORMATION

READING BUDDIES: Information for Parents What is Reading Buddies? Reading Buddies is a reading program where teens and children are paired up for reading in a safe, fun and friendly environment. Younger children will gain practice reading with a caring teen mentor. Teens will develop leadership experience and community involvement. Each child will be paired with a teen who likes to read and has attended a training workshop provided by the library. Reading will take place in the children's area and the program room. Each session will be super-vised by a librarian. Please note: Reading Buddies is NOT a tutoring service. Our teen readers are neither trained nor expected to correct learning problems or teach children how to read. Who are the Little Buddies? Children who are in grade 2, 3 or 4. They must live in Burnaby or attend school in Burnaby. All reading levels welcome! Is my child expected to attend all five sessions? Yes! Children are expected to attend all five sessions. This is a popular program. If you’re not sure you will be in town during these weeks, please do not sign up and instead wait for another session in the coming months. Who are the Big Buddies? Burnaby teens who are in grade 9, 10, 11 or 12. What will the Buddies do? Teens will listen and encourage your child in their reading practice, and help select reading material appropriate to their interests and reading level. They will read for approximately 30 minutes and participate in activities together. Where: McGill Branch, 4595 Albert Street When: Tuesdays, February 6 to March 6 Time: 4:15 – 5:00 pm QUESTIONS? Please contact the McGill Branch directly at 604-297-4599 for more information, or email Kathryn Lee at Kathryn.lee@bpl.bc.ca