890 Old Derry Road West, Mississauga, ON, L5W 1A1. Phone: 905-564-5735. Fax: 905-564-2875

Principal: Mrs. J. Marshall Vice-Principal: Mr. P. Anderson Office Manager: Mrs. M. Collins

Superintendent: Ms. C. Speers (905-569-9946) School Trustee: Mr J. White (905) 890-1099

Take your child to the bus stop and meet them there after

school.

Help your child set up a buddy system. Children should walk in

groups of at least two.

Pre-arrange a contact person your child knows who can pick him

or her up in the event of an emergency.

Make sure the school has a list of people your child can be released

to. This also applies to day camp, swimming lessons, and other

activities.

Avoid placing your child’s name in a clearly visible location on

their clothes, lunch box and other belongings because it advertises

who they are. A stranger may read their name and call out to them,

fooling your child into believing this person knows them.

Please Remember…..

Our answering machine picks up messages 24 hours a

day. Please report illnesses, lates, appointments or ab-

sences at: 905-564-0578

As you know from our school year calendar, Dec. 20, 2013, is a Professional Activity Day. Students will not be at school on this day. Traditionally, school staff participate in professional learning activities on these days. However, the Ministry of Education has designated Dec. 20 as unpaid day for some staff and a professional development day for others. Based on new provincial legislation, permanent teachers, both elementary and secondary, will take Dec. 20 as an unpaid day and are not required to be at work on that day. In some cases, principals and vice-principals will choose to take this day as an unpaid day and will also not be present in their schools. In other cases, administrators will choose to take an unpaid day at another time and will be at school on Dec. 20. Dec. 20 is a regular, paid work day for all other Peel board staff members and many will participate in professional learning offered through the board on this day.

We are fast approaching the Winter Break and, on behalf of all the staff at Meadowvale Village, I

would like to extend our best wishes to all our families during this festive time. Whether you cele-

brate Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas or any other holiday, I hope you enjoy the time that you

spend with your family and friends. Our Fall term has been busy with many extra-curricular activi-

ties, intra-murals and clubs starting for the students. I would like to thank all of you, as well as the

staff, for the support you provide in maintaining a positive learning environment for all the

students.

Gift giving is very much a part of the holiday season and once again we are turning our thoughts to those less

fortunate than us. Our annual food drive is taking place again and we are collecting non-perishable items

which will be crammed into a police cruiser. This year we are hoping to take some students to the Food Bank

so they can see where the food goes and find out how it is distributed. Last year we were so excited about the

Toy Drive and the wonderful toys that were donated that we have decided to continue with this as well. Thank

you in advance for your generosity. Students can bring food items and toys to school any time between now

and December 13. Students can place these items in the collecting boxes outside the classroom door and they

will be collected and placed under our holiday tree in the foyer.

Have a safe and happy holiday, see you in the New Year! Jane Marshall

PLEASE NOTE: Whenever you enter the building you MUST notify the office, sign-in and pick up a visitor

badge. At Meadowvale Village we try to provide continuity and a stable environment for ALL students to learn.

As an extension of the curriculum, the Grade 5’s have been learning about social justice and young activists, such as Craig

Kielburger, the founder of Free the Children and Me to We, a socially conscious and environmentally friendly

organization that sells a variety of accessories such as Rafiki Friend Chains. This month, students have had the unique

opportunity to purchase Rafiki Friend Chains in exchange for the gift of health, food, clean water,

income, and an education for a child in need. We

asked our grade fives about this

Brooke from 5C said, “With only $10 you

can change a child's life!"

Shaylin

from 5C

said,

"It's time

for us to

make a

difference

and help

poor chil-

dren in

developing

countries."

Sumjn from 5D said, “A Rafiki Chain is a

bracelet that is made by mama’s in different

countries. The Rafiki Chains cost $10.00

and when you buy one it helps at least one

person live.”

Intesar from 5A said, “The Rafiki Friend Chains are great. It

helps Free The Children and many others in many countries,

such as, Kenya and Nicaragua."

Alisha from 5A said, “It makes me sad to

know that other children in the world don’t

have the things that I have like clean water,

three meals a day, everlasting education,

access to a family doctor etc. So I wanted to

help make the world a better place for those

who are poor and chose to donate and pur-

chase five Rafiki Chains to cover water,

food, health, education and income.”

Paige from 5C said, "Rafiki

Friend Chains help children in

developing countries such as

Kenya, Haiti, and Ecuador. It

is important we help these

innocent children."

Sasha from 5B said, "I wanted to get a Rafiki Friend Chain be-

cause I wanted to help people in other countries. I have chosen to

purchase the bracelets for gifts for my family for Christmas. I

think that it is a neat way to help raise money all over the world."

Katie from 5B said, "I wanted to get a

Rafiki Friend Chain because I can give

it as a gift and also donate money to a

great cause. I have chosen to support

their Clean Water Campaign. I was so

excited to learn about how I could make

a difference in the lives of children

around the world."

Ria from 5C said, "A Rafiki Friend Chain is

made by Kenyan mothers. Please

purchase one and make a difference!"

Carshena in 5A said, “When Ms. Walker

was talking about how the poor people of

Africa have to cross dangerous waters to

get clean water and they only have one

meal a day, I felt bad for them because they

have to do a lot of things just to get their

basic needs met. So I wanted to donate to

Free the Children and have my money go

to helping them with clean water and I

bought a Rafiki Chain to help.”

Thank you to all MVPS parents, teachers, and students who made the Book Fair a success! With the funds raised, over a hundred new books will be purchased for the library. Your support was greatly appreciated.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Understanding what you read is the most important part of reading. Teachers refer to this as comprehension. Good readers are aware of when they understand and when they do not understand what they have read. If they have trouble understanding specific words, phrases, or longer passages, they use a wide range of problem-solving strategies. Here are some “fix-up” strategies that good readers use:

Rereading reading ahead keeping ahead asking questions

drawing inferences making predictions figuring out unknown words

stopping to think looking at the pictures

connecting the reading to background knowledge (what they already know)

trying to get a mental picture of what is happening (visualizing)

When reading with your child at home, you can help them develop comprehension skills by having conversations about what they have read. You can also encourage them to use some of the “fix-up” strategies listed above.

Seneh from 5A said, “It helps poor

children and mothers in poor coun-

tries in Africa. It helps the children

get their daily needs met such as

food, income, health, water and edu-

cation. It makes me feel happy to

help someone in need.”

Grace from 5D said, “Rafiki Friend

Chains are helping Kenya, rural China,

and many other countries with education,

health, water, income, and food. I bought

an education chain because the person

who learns can help other people.”

Dixita from 5C said, "You

can buy a Rafiki Friend

Chain to help a child get

clean water, education,

food, income, and health

care. One Rafiki. One

Life."

Shavon from 5C said,

"I like how Rafiki

Friend Chains help

people around the

world that you don't

even know."

D A T E S F O R Y O U R D I A R Y

Please remember the following dates:

Food and Toy Drive December 2—December 6

Wear Pink Day December 11

Winter Concert December 12

Storyteller December 16

Holiday Sing-a-Long December 16, 17 and 19

Spirit Day—Wear Red & Green December 19

Winter Break December 20—January 3

Wear Pink Day January 8

C

Critical-Thinking is a broad M.V.P.S. goal for the 2013-

2014 school year. Problem-Solving is a component of Criti-

cal-Thinking. Creative, or Right-Brain Problem-Solving has

been defined as “What to do when you don’t know what to

do.” This requires “outside-the-box” thinking. Once a for-

mula or technique has been taught to “solve a problem”,

then it is no longer a right-brain problem.

Here is a simple example of a right-brain problem: “Farmer

Brown has 5 haystacks in one field and 7 haystacks in an-

other field. If he puts these haystacks together in the barn,

how many haystacks will there be?” Students have typi-

cally been taught to apply an addition formula to solve this

type of “problem”; however, 7+5=12 would be the incorrect

solution! A student thinking outside-the-box would provide

the correct solution of one haystack.

Our Junior Students will be exposed to a series of such

right-brain problems to help develop problem-solving and

critical-thinking skills. Our Primary Students will also be

exposed to a wide array of problems in order to enhance

these skills. They will apply the following problem-solving

model to help solve the problems: 1.Undestand the prob-

lem; 2.Make a plan (find a strategy); 3.Carry out the plan;

4.Look back, or rethink; 5.Communicate the solution.

Register for French Immersion by Jan. 31, 2014 Are you thinking of registering your child for French Im-mersion (FI)? For the 2014-15 school year, parents must register children for entry into grade 1 FI by 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, 2014.

Registration for FI will be done through an online registration form that will be available on Nov. 22 at www.peelschools.org/parents/programs/French/registration. The FI school for our area is Britannia Public School

Registration process - A grade 1 FI enrolment cap is in place. This means that a specific number of spots are available for students entering grade 1 FI. If the number of students registered by the deadline exceeds the number of spots in grade 1 FI, a random selection process system will be used to identify students gaining entrance into the grade 1 FI program.

All students who make the registration deadline will be placed in a random selection process and assigned a rank using a computerized random selection process. Spots are not assigned on a first come, first served basis. Once students have been assigned to all available spots, remaining students will be placed, again in rank order, on the school's waitlist.

Some students will be automatically placed in grade 1 FI. To find out if your child does not need to participate in the random selection process, and for more information about the random selection and waitlist processes, visit

www.peelschools.org/parents/programs/French/registration.

How to get more information Visit the Peel board website—www.peelschools.org/

parents/programs/French/registration. Call Britannia Public School at 905-814-1146 Visit the Canadian Parents for French website at

www.cpfont.on.ca.

Water and Wastewater

Presentation:

Thursday November 14th

On Thursday November 14th, the Grade 5 classes enjoyed a fun and

informative session addressing several areas of water education in-

cluding: drinking water treatment and distribution and water quality

and protection.

Here is what Dixita from 5C had to say:

"The water presentation was amazing and I learned a lot. Water is a

very valuable thing that we all take for granted. Our water comes

from Lake Ontario and is cleaned at a Water Treatment Facility. The

average person uses about 290 litres of water a day! Also, you

shouldn't be dumping anything like trash or oil in the storm sewers

because the water in the storm sewers goes directly to Lake Ontario."

We are proud to announce that the

students of Meadowvale Village Public

School showed great generosity in

supporting our Mitten Tree. In total

students brought in: 9 scarves, 6 hat

and mitten sets, 58 hats and 134

pairs of Mittens. That's a grand total

of 207 pieces of winter cloth-

ing. Thank you for helping to keep so

many needy hands and heads warm

this winter!

Keep a lookout for

details about our annual

toy and food drive.

After 25 years with the

Peel District School Board,

Mrs. Cirovic retired

on November 30, 2013

We wish Mrs. Cirovic all the best

in her future endeavours.

She will be missed by all.

Do you have a young children that will start school in the next year or two? If so, join us for a

Kindergarten Live! information session to learn more about the Peel board’s full-day

kindergarten program and how to register your children for school.

Four elementary schools in Peel will host Kindergarten Live! information sessions in

December where Explore Guides will takes families on a small group tour to see a kindergarten

class in action, find out about play-based learning and have the opportunity to ask questions

about special education.

Kindergarten Live! information sessions will take place at the following Peel elementary

schools in December:

Queen Street Public School in Brampton

Caledon East Public School in Caledon

Clarkson Public School in Mississauga

Marvin Heights Public School in Mississauga

For more information or to register for an information session, visit

http://www.peelschools.org/parents/kindergarten.

If your child was born in 2010, he or she can start kindergarten in September 2014.

All Peel elementary schools will be open for kindergarten registration

from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 4, 5, 6 and 7 and

Join us for a Kindergarten Live! open house in December to learn more

Communities: Bridging the Gap is the theme of our upcoming concert featuring the MVPS choir and the

following Grade 2/3, 3 and 5 classes: Mrs. Gomes, Mrs. Dhillon, Mr. Arthur, Mr. Matecki, Ms. Taylor, Ms.

Al-Saati, Ms. Walker and Mrs. Chapman. (The other half of the school will be featured at our spring concert.)

There’s nothing more exciting than watching your child perform LIVE, and we hope to see all of you here for

this energetic and fun show.

Students are asked to arrive at 6:10 p.m. We would love to fill the gym with a big audience, so please plan

to attend the concert. The students have worked very hard on this performance and are looking forward to

presenting it for you.

The Choir has been working hard at each rehearsal to prepare for the upcoming concert the evening of

Thursday, December 12th. The students did an outstanding job performing at the Remembrance Day

Assembly, and will be reprising that song, as well as adding some delightful new repertoire for our upcoming

evening of music. All choir members are expected to return to school for this performance; please arrive

promptly at 6:10 p.m. for our 6:30 p.m. performance. You will be amazed by the musicality of these young

students and their inspiring sounds of the season.

Come and join our students in this Meadowvale tradition, as we raise our voices in song ~ sharing music from different traditions, and enjoying some school favourites!

Tuesday Dec. 17, Day 3 10:45 a.m., P3

Wednesday Dec. 18, Day 4 1:10 p.m., P5

Thursday Dec. 19, Day 5 10:45 a.m., P3

On Wednesday, November 20, 2013, the

M.V.P.S. PALS (Playground Activity Leaders in

Schools) were invited to participate in the

Peel District School Board's Choose Action

event. During the

morn ing, s tudents

learned about bullying

prevention and ways to

promote equity, and

inclusivity in their

school. The highlight of

the morning was

watching the world famous Harlem Globetrotter

Alumni play a basketball game against the “Peel

Dream Team”, which included Tony Pontes our

Director of Education, several Superintendents

and Board Trustees, and many principals and

teachers from across the board. The morning

concluded with an inspirational message

from Sean Mauricette-a.k.a.-Subliminal. He

encouraged and inspired

us with his messages of

l e a d e r s h i p , p e e r

pressure, and the

i m p o r t a n c e o f

respect. Students left

the event with the 3 R's

to Choose Action

mindset. They know they can help to prevent or

even stop bullying by Recognizing it, Refusing

to be a Bystander, and Reporting it.

Healthy Pumpkin Bread From Good Housekeeping.com

Treat family and friends to our slimmed-down

quick bread. Gone are the traditional

version's 3 grams of saturated fat and all the

cholesterol (thanks to egg whites and a blend

of low-fat yogurt and canola oil). No one will

suspect you've tinkered — a slice is that

good!

· 1 cup(s) (packed) light brown sugar

· 2 large egg whites

· 1 cup(s) pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

· 1/4 cup(s) canola oil

· 1/3 cup(s) low-fat plain yogurt

· 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

· 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour

· 3/4 cup(s) whole wheat flour

· 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder

· 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon

· 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg

· 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda

· 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8 1/2" by 4 1/2"

metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.

In large bowl, with wire whisk, combine brown sugar

and egg whites. Add pumpkin, oil, yogurt, and vanilla

extract; stir to combine

In medium bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole

wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg,

baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to pumpkin

mixture; stir until just combined. Do not overmix.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until

toothpick inserted in center of loaf

comes out clean. Cool in pan 10

minutes. Invert pumpkin bread

onto wire rack; cool completely

Eat and enjoy!

Closing schools because of bad weather

During the winter months, we may need to cancel buses or close schools because of bad weather.

The board decides by 6:30 a.m. whether to cancel buses or close schools. To find out if bussing is cancelled or

schools closed, visit www.peelschools.org or call 905-890-1010 or

1-800-668-1146. You will receive one of the following messages:

Peel District School Board buses are cancelled. Schools remain open for students and staff, but buses are cancelled. Buses will

remain cancelled all day. All activities that require bussing will also be cancelled. Permits, night school classes, daycare and other

activities in schools will operate as usual.

All Peel District School Board schools and board offices are closed. Due to weather conditions, schools and board offices are

closed to students and staff. All activities in schools and board offices are also cancelled, including daycare, night school and per-

mits.

All evening programs and permits at the Peel District School Board are cancelled. Due to weather conditions, all activities in

schools and board offices are cancelled, including continuing education courses and events. The buildings will be closed.

All weekend programs and permits at the Peel District School Board are cancelled. Due to weather conditions, all activities in

schools and board offices are cancelled, including continuing education courses and events. The buildings will be closed.

Help your family stay warm this winter

Canada Safety Council recommends the following tips for staying comfortable and preventing hypothermia when working or playing outdoors:

Wear a warm hat—most body heat is lost through the head. Children should keep an extra hat at school.

Wear layered clothing. Layers allow warm air to stay trapped around the body.

Protect your feet and hands. Wear loose waterproof boots. If the boots have liners, carry an extra pair to replace

damp ones or take an extra pair of socks. Mittens are warmer than gloves. Carry an extra pair of mittens to school, on

outings, etc.

Prevent dehydration and exhaustion, which can lead to hypothermia. Drink plenty of fluids and pace yourself

when doing vigorous activities.

Stay fit by exercising and eating well—people who are fit are less susceptible to hypothermia.

If you stay indoors, avoid moving from a hot environment to a cold one. Excessive sweating caused from an ex-

treme change in temperature increases the risk of developing hypothermia.

Eat high-energy food such as nuts and raisins.

If you are travelling (on the road or in the wilderness) carry emergency supplies.

The newsletter draw will take place the afternoon of December 19, 2013

Yes, I have read the

newsletter. Please enter my

child’s name for the MVPS

draw.

Parent/Guardian Signature: _________________________________

Student name: ___________________________________________

Teacher name:____________________________________________

Laura Ziemba, Chair,

Ann Onn, Vice-Chair

Tina Vij, Treasurer

Saima Qureshi, Secretary Audrey Colantonio, Health

Carolyn Harry, Sebnem Richtman,

Andrea Miller Fundraising

Save the date!! New this school year to MVPS, students will enjoy Health Week which will take place the week before March Break. Each day, students will enjoy an active and fun activity, details below.

To add to these fun activities, students will enjoy their second healthy snack of the year. We want parents to be involved too! On Tuesday, March 4, we invite parents and students to the school for a Family Fun Night. Stations will be set up that will allow parents to actively play with their kids with a brief presentation on the Concept of Play. Details to follow. We hope you can make it! Volunteers Needed! In order to run our annual Skating Day Event, we rely heavily on parent volunteers. We need parents to help tie laces and/or skate. If you are able to come out for a fun morning with the school com-munity, please email Audrey at colantonio@rogers.com to sign up. QUICK & EASY HEALTH TIPS!

Take a stretch break! If you’ve been sitting for an hour or longer, get up and stretch. Hydrate with water. Pass on the juice/pop, and just drink water. Juice and pop are loaded with sugar and

artificial ingredients. Natural frozen treats. If your children like frozen treats, try freezing grapes. Wash, remove of the stem

and store them in your freezer for a quick cold natural sweet treat. Eat more veggies! Eat a healthy vegetable side with every single meal. Opt for dark greens and colourful

veggies to get a wide range of vitamins and nutrients. Nature’s sweet treat. Feel like something sweet? Opt for a fresh fruit instead of processed sweets. Use your muscle power to get you places. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. If your

trip is short, think about walking instead of driving. Walk and Talk Meetings. Instead of a conventional meeting/conversation at table and chairs, consider the

“Walk and Talk” approach. This is great for parent-children conversations too!

Have a happy and healthy holiday season!

Date Activity

Monday, March 3 Move-A-Thon Fundraiser

Tuesday, March 4 Zumba Class (Latin cardio) Family Fun Night & the “Concept of Play”

Wednesday, March 5 Karate Class

Thursday, March 6 Skating Day at Meadowvale 4 Rinks