OUR MISSION STATEMENT: “We will prepare all students to meet the challenges of a changing society by facilitating and fostering their intellectual, physical, emotional and social development

in a safe and inclusive learning environment”

Congratulations to Ms. Takyi for

her promotion to Principal!

&

Welcome Mrs. Proctor! Mrs. Proctor is coming to us as an experienced

Vice- Principal from Sherwood Mills P.S.

Great things are continuing to happen at

David Leeder Middle School

S.P.I.R.I.T

School Council Events

Monday April 10th, 7:00pm - 9:00pm. Presentation by Peel Police

Cst. Fowler, preparing parents for some of the challenges our kids may be faced with in high school, what to watch for, and how to talk to

our kids about them. Please RSVP by April 7th -

davidleederms.council@peelsb.com We will also have a quick, condensed meeting

if time permits.

Wednesday April 26th, 6:30pm - 7:45pm. Guest speaker Sara Westbrook,

UPower Presentations, to talk about 3 Habits of Resilient Families. For parents only. See

http://www.sarawestbrook.com for more information

DLMS School Council Meetings

The schedule of School Council meetings for the 2016-17 year is as follows:

Monday June 5, 2017

All meetings are held in our school library and begin at 7 PM.

Hope you can join us at an upcoming meeting!

Catch the………….. April 2017

Leeder S.P.I.R.I.T. Success Perseverance Integrity Responsibility Initiative Teamwork

David Leeder Middle School

6900 Gooderham Estate Road

905-362-1340

Principal: S. Takyi

Vice-Principals: M. Proctor and J. De Murrell

Superintendent of Education ~ J. Robertson

(905) 366 - 8800 (ext. 1308)

Our Grade 8 students-turned-entrepreneurs would like to cordially invite the David Leeder Middle School community to the annual CYOB (Create Your Own Business) Market taking place in the gym on Friday, April 7th, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. There will be many vendors selling a variety of products produced by them and services provided by them. These young Canadian entrepreneurs have created traditional and unique items and are running some exclusive one-day services that are sure to interest a diverse group of consumers.

Don’t miss out on this special sales event! You will be sure to find something at the market that is perfect just for you! It is recommended that you bring smaller bills and change and arrive early before businesses sell out.

Celebrate Administrative Professionals’ Day Wednesday, April 26, 2017 Peel schools will pay tribute to administrative professionals on Administrative Professionals’ Day on April 26, 2017. The day will be celebrated with special activities and events that provide teachers, students and parents an opportunity to thank the administrative staff who help support student success each and every day. The Peel board appreciates the important job administrative staff do each school day and April 26 provides an opportunity to give these individuals the recognition they deserve.

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS

Thank you for the support that you have given to this point to ensure that your child is set up to succeed. Regular attendance and punctuality have a positive relationship to that success. Students are reminded that school begins at 8:10

a.m., at that time they should be in class prepared for learning.

Day of Pink, the international day to celebrate diversity and inclusion to work towards ending homophobia, transphobia and all forms of bullying and discrimination, falls on the second Wednesday of April each year. As this conflicts with a holy day, in order to give all of our students an opportunity to be part of this important inclusion activity, the Peel District School Board schools will recognize Day of Pink on April 10 this year.

“Equity and inclusion is something that all Peel schools teach throughout the year and discuss with students daily—it is embedded in everything we do,” says Tony Pontes, director of education. “Day of Pink is just one more way for us to ensure students and staff learn, work and develop in environments that are safe, equitable, inclusive, respectful and nurturing for all.” Day of Pink began when a high school student in Cambridge, Nova Scotia, was bullied with homophobic language because he wore a pink shirt to school. The next day, hundreds of students at his school stood up to bullying and wore pink to school to show their support for equity and inclusion.

On this day, students, staff and families from across Peel may wear pink and participate in a number of activities to celebrate diversity and inclusion.

Brought to you by Lunchbox Orders Healthy school meals are just one click away. Place your lunch order at www.lunchboxorders.com

The Skinny on Sugar! Amy Skeoch MHSc, RD Lately we’ve been hearing a lot in the media about the sugar. Is it ok to have? How much should we have? Like many nutrition-related topics, it’s complicated! To begin, it’s important to know what sugar is. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, and all forms of sugar break down in our bodies into glucose. It doesn’t matter if it’s sugar from maple syrup, corn syrup, or apple juice they all turn into glucose. The thing is, our bodies actually need glucose. Glucose is the fuel that our brains use to think, without it we wouldn’t be able to function. However, we can have too much of it. In addition to dental cavities, excess glucose gets stored as fat if we don’t burn it off in our daily activities. The challenge with being aware of how much sugar we consume is that some foods and drinks naturally contain sugar – like fruits (fructose) and milk (lactose), and since food labels only report the “total sugar” it’s hard to know what is naturally occurring and what is added. How much is too much? The World Health Organization recommends that no more than 10% of our overall daily calories should come from “added or free sugars”. Unlike foods containing naturally occurring sugars, foods that have added sugars tend to have low nutritional value. Most of us are pretty aware of the typical sugary culprits – pop, candy, cookies and sweets, so rather than getting too wrapped up in numbers, try to choose more natural forms of sugar for snacking like fruits and veggies when possible, and when you do have sweetened items watch the portion size. Here are some suggested tips to reduce the amount of “added sugars” in your diet:

Choose water or milk at mealtimes rather than pop, fruit punches and concentrated juice mixes Munch on whole fruit rather than drinking juices or juice “drinks” Avoid “low fat” versions of food – often the fat is replaced with carbohydrates (sugar) Choose natural yogurts and add fruit to sweeten, rather than fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt Reduce the amount of sauces and condiments you add to food items (they often contain high amount of sugar i.e.

Ketchup) Read the ingredient list of the package and avoid foods with “high fructose corn syrup” in the first 5 ingredients Add mashed banana, or applesauce when baking rather table sugar

Sources: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/ http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2011003/article/11540-eng.htm https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/ug2162 https://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Articles/Carbohydrate-and-Sugar/Recipe-Makeover-Reducing-Sugar-in-the-Kitchen.aspx

Parent resources help you support your child’s learning At the Peel District School Board, our mission is to inspire success, confidence and hope in each child. There is no doubt that families play a vital role in helping us achieve this goal. As our partner in education, we hope you'll stay connected to your child's learning throughout his or her entire school experience. Visit www.peelschools.org/parents/helpyourchild to explore all resources available to parents. There you will find easy-to-navigate buttons that connect families to tip sheets and web pages on a number of different topics, including math, homework, special education, EQAO and mental health.

Keep up to date with DLMS school news by visiting our website at:

http://schools.peelschools.org/1544

Don’t forget to register on the website in order to

get email updates regarding upcoming events!

David Leeder Middle School

6900 Gooderham Estate Road

905-362-1340

Principal: S. Takyi

Vice-principal: M. Proctor

J. De Murrell

Superintendent of Education ~ J. Robertson

(905) 366 - 8800 (ext. 1308)

April - Earth Month Earth Month encompasses the international celebration of Earth Day on April 22, 2017. This is the most celebrated environmental event worldwide. Initiated in 1970, this event has been considered the birth of the environmental movement. Each year, more than 6 million Canadians join 500 million people in over 180 countries in staging events and projects to address local environmental issues. In Canada, Earth Day has grown into Earth Week and even Earth Month to accommodate the profusion of events and projects. Here are some ways that you can celebrate earth week with your family:

create a backyard or schoolyard habitat

plant a garden or tree

start a recycling program at home

organize a carpooling campaign in your neighbourhood to reduce air pollution

pick up trash in your neighbourhood

read a book about an endangered species

make a visit to your local zoo, aquarium or museum

visit a local park, wildlife area or farm to provide a fun opportunity to learn about the environment and life