COPELAND COMMUNICATIONS FOR FRIDAY September 20th, 2019 Visit Copeland’s website http://schools.peelschools.org/1518/Pages/default.aspx

Want to keep up to date with what’s happening at Copeland? Check out our school website where you'll find:

the latest school news, school hours

contact information for school administration, superintendent and trustee

monthly calendar, enrolment data

mission, vision and values

registration information, frequently asked questions, volunteer information

JOIN OUR SCHOOL COUNCIL! FIRST MEETING = MONDAY SEPTEMBER 23rd (6:30 PM)

Every Peel school has a school council—a group focused on helping students succeed. School councils provide a voice for parents and the community and offer advice to the school principal on a number of topics.

Our first meeting is on Monday, September 23rd, 2019 at 6:30 pm. We will be holding elections for our 2019-2020 Council.

If you would like to know more or are interested in joining our council, please come out on Monday! Babysitting provided!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 24th = COPELAND REORGANIZES = NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

COPELAND PS IS RE-ORGANIZING!!! On Tuesday, September 24th, there is no school for students, since staff will be

busy preparing as part of our REORGANIZATION process. Some students in our English and in French Immersion classes are being switched in order to balance classes . Our reorganization process will impact some students. Staff will attempt to call families directly involved with moves. However, due to the volume of students impacted, communication may be on Monday through letters. Please see the letter below for details. We thank you for your continued partnership and support as we work to balance class sizes to ensure student success. Families can find our updated staff list below.

Coming Soon……. FRIDAY, September 27th = ORANGE SHIRT DAY

The Peel District School Board will recognize and support Orange Shirt Day to raise awareness of residential schools and its impact on Indigenous peoples in Canada. Although Orange Shirt Day is on Sat. Sept. 30, our board will be recognizing it on Thurs. Oct. 4th.

Students are welcome to wear the colour Orange that day, engage in discussions, ask questions, research and speak with family outside of the classroom to raise awareness of the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada – including residential schools. We hope that you will join us in supporting Orange Shirt Day and continue to have these conversations, even after Orange Shirt Day.

TERRY FOX EVENTS! Go Online so students can be involved!

As a school, Copeland will support awareness and raise funds towards Cancer Research!

Students can donate $5.00 Cash Online (STARTING TOMORROW) to receive a “Copeland” stamp so that they can participate in recess activities: Dress the Teacher, Poison Ball/Cone Knock-Down, Tricycle Relay, Teacher/Student Dodge-ball, Neon Dance party, Cookie sales and our Neighbourhood Walk to raise awareness for this cause.

“Toonies for Terry” will also be collected for our event, so check your “piggy banks” for change

Our annual School Wide Terry Fox event will take place on Friday October 4that 2:05 pm. Parents are welcome to join!

Stay tuned……..more info to come!

NEWS FLASH! COMING SOON: FRIDAY, October 25th= PHOTO DAY

“Edge Imaging” will be at Copeland PS to take student photographs and Phys-Ed classes will not change their clothes that day, in order to help us all stay clean and tidy.

Students should come to school dressed for their portraits, so bring your smiles!

Coming Soon……. DENTAL SCREENING for ALL GRADES at Copeland

“Peel Public Health is offering FREE dental screenings as required by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for students in All Grades, on October 7, 8, 9, 10, 2019. Please note that screening may be completed earlier than the expected end date. A dental screening is a quick assessment by a Registered Dental Hygienist who will take a look inside your child's mouth. A separate, sterilized mouth mirror is used for each child. After Dental Screening, a form with the results will go home with every child screened and the parent may be contacted by a dental staff member. A second dental screening may be required to ensure that your child has received the necessary dental treatment. Peel Public Health will no longer be sending out paper exemption forms. If you DO NOT want your child to be screened, please visit

http://www.peelregion.ca/dental/schoolscreening or call 905-799-7700 extension 5622 to speak to a Certified Dental Assistant by October 4, 2019

SCHOOL HOURS

9:00 First bell

9:05 Start of school 10:45 1st Nutrition break

1:25 2nd Nutrition break

3:25 Dismissal

Finalized COPELAND STAFF 2019 –2020

Kindergarten:

Mrs. Pearce, Mrs. Shahid Room 111

Mrs. Mohamed, Mrs. Bora Room 110

Mrs. Mackie, Mrs. Saggu Room 109

Gr. 1 Eng: Mrs. Brahma Room 103

change Gr. 2 Eng: Mrs. Chhina Room 104

Gr. 2/3 Eng: Ms. Bhandari Room 202

Gr. 3/4 Eng: Mrs. Trudel Room 214

Gr. 4 EA: Ms. Mundboth Room 210

change Gr. 4 EB: Mrs. Robinson Room 204

Gr. 5 Eng: Ms. Porter Room 216

Gr. 1 FI: Mme Son- Team French Partner Room 207

Gr. 1 FI: Mrs. Aultman- Team English Partner Room 206

Gr. 1 FI: Mme Ruhomutally Room 102

Gr. 2 FI: Mme Mohammed Room 101

Gr. 2 FI: Mme Aloui Room 201

Gr. 2 FI : Mme Mattar Room 203

change Gr. 3 FI Team: Mrs. McCormack/ TBA Room 209

change Gr. 3 FI: Mme DeSouza Room 205

Gr. 3/4 FI : Mrs. Curran- Team English Partner Room 211

Gr. 4 FI: M. Mece- Team French Partner Room 212

Gr. 4/5FI: Mme Whitehouse Room 215

Gr. 5 FI: Mlle Chiasson Room 217

Special Program

Classroom Teacher: Ms. Smeby

TA Team: Mrs. Haluk and Ms. Connell

Teaching Assistants Ms. Variava

Ms. Das (pm)/TBA (am)

Mrs. Tenaglia (pm only) Ext. 416

Support Staff

Music: Mrs. Ikeno & Ms. Cerovski Ext. 112

ISSP: Ms. Languedoc, Mrs. Chahal, Mme. Blais Ext. 409/213/408

Phys.-Ed: Ms. Bethune, Mme. Frantellizzi Ext.407

Teacher- Librarian: Mme. Frantellizzi Ext. 406

Core French- Mlle McCormack

ELL: Ms. Chahal Ext. 213

Principal: L. Rathbone Vice Principal: J. Trafford

Office Manager: A. Longstreet Office Assistant: Mrs. Byng

Trustee: Kathy McDonald 905-796-8163

Superintendent: Jeff deFreitas 905-451-2862

Principal:

L. Rathbone

Vice-Principal: J. Trafford

Office Manager:

A. A. Longstreet Office Assistant:

K. Byng

Trustee: Kathy McDonald

Ward 4, 905-796-8163

Superintendent: Michelle Stubbings

905-451-2862

September 20, 2019

Dear Copeland Families:

Each year, our school starts off with a certain number of classes and teachers—these numbers are based on estimates

made the previous spring about how many students will be enrolled during the next school year.

As you may be aware, the Ministry of Education has class size goals that all school boards are required to meet.

When the Peel District School Board organized its schools in the spring, they adhered to this ministry expectation.

Each September, the board reviews the enrolment and staffing needs through a re-organization process. Through this

process, administrators compare actual enrolment numbers to the numbers projected by the board in the spring. We

have now completed this review, and some Copeland students may move to another class in order to balance class

sizes so that we can adhere to government expectations. As a result, Copeland has been reduced by one French

Immersion classroom and has gained one English classroom. As well, students in both English programs and

our French Immersion programs are moving to other classes in order to balance class sizes so that we can

adhere to the government's expectation.

Mrs. Robinson will be teaching the new Grade 4 class Copeland gained. As well, Mme McCormack will assume the

position of Core French Teacher, and French Immersion Planning time teacher for the school every morning, while

remaining the French Immersion teacher for class 3FB every afternoon. Copeland thanks you both for all your

dedication and support!

This ministry initiative has also resulted in a number of combined grades at our school. A combined grade is where

children from two different grades learn together in the same classroom. Please see the attached fact sheet for more

information on combined grades.

If your child is affected by a change, you will receive a letter with details following re-organization. Every attempt

will be made to notify families by telephone by the end of this week and throughout the weekend.

I understand that you might have concerns about these changes. Please be assured that these changes will not affect

the quality of education your child will receive at Copeland. Our staff have the skills, training and resources to work

effectively with students in a variety of settings.

As always, we will do what is in the best interest of students and families. At the same time, the school board has an

obligation to comply with the ministry's requirement. School staff will work to minimize the impact on students

resulting from the primary class size re-organization and ensure a smooth transition. If you have any questions or

concerns, please contact me or the vice-principal.

Sincerely,

Leanne Rathbone

Principal

5 Young Drive 5 Young Drive

Brampton, ON L6Y 0P4

t- 905-451-2217

f- 905-451-0168

Principal L. Rathbone

Vice Principal J. Trafford

Office Manager A.Longstreet

Office Assistant K. Byng

A parent’s guide to a combined grade classroom

Your child is learning in a combined grade classroom. This fact sheet is designed to help you understand how this type of

classroom works and answer questions you may have.

Schools group students from two grades in one classroom to balance class size across the school and to keep the number of

students in primary classes (kindergarten to grade 3) at or below 20. Combined grade classes are not new—they have always

been a common part of the school experience.

Teachers are highly trained to balance individual learning needs

Walk into any classroom, and you will find children at various stages of social, physical and intellectual development. No two

children are exactly the same, even if they’re the same age. Each child has unique learning needs—strengths and areas that need

improvement. Learning styles and preferences are unique to each student. That’s true of same-grade classrooms, just like

combined grade groups.

Teachers are highly trained to adjust the learning program in the classroom to the needs of each student’s individual learning

needs. In combined grade classes, teachers use these same strategies to teach the curriculum for both grades.

Teachers use a variety of strategies to balance the needs of both grades

Students in a combined grade class follow expectations for their specific grade. Just as in same-grade classes, teachers in

combined grades use a wide range of teaching strategies to make sure they cover all of the curriculum expectations. Children in

combined grade classes will spend time learning as a whole class, in small groups and individually. Sometimes they will be

grouped based on a specific task and other times the teacher will group them based on their learning needs. Here are some

examples of how a teacher of a combined grade class might cover the curriculum for two grades.

In many areas of the Ontario curriculum, the overall expectations do not change from one grade to the next, but students learn

the skill with a greater level of complexity as they progress from grade to grade. In a combined grade 3/4 class, all of the

students would spend time reading to improve their comprehension. The grade 3 students would be learning to restate important

ideas from a text, while the grade 4 students would be learning to make an outline of a section of reading. The same students

might then do a writing assignment. The grade 3s would be expected to use joining words to combine simple sentences, while

the grade 4s would be required to use sentences of different lengths and complexity.

The teacher may have the whole class participate in a common activity, followed by small group or individual work on grade-

specific curriculum expectations. For example, in a grade 1/2 combined grade class, when teaching the life systems strand of

science, the teacher might start by showing a video about a specific animal. The grade 1 students would do a follow-up activity

to identify the characteristics and needs of living things, while the grade 2 students would focus on growth and change in

animals.

Students are not always learning new information or concepts—they also need to review, consolidate and refine their learning

and build on previous learning to do a more complex task. In a grade 5/6 combined grade math class, for example, the teacher

might review the concept of place value with the whole class. Then the students would work on the grade-specific expectations.

Grade 5 students would be practicing math problems with place values up to 100,000 and decimals to hundredths, while grade 6

students would work on problems with place values up to 1,000,000 and decimals to thousandths. Or if working on

measurement, the whole class might work on an activity requiring them to estimate, measure and record perimeter and area of

various items. The grade 6s would need to demonstrate a greater level of accuracy, based on the curriculum expectations, than

the grade 5s.

Even in subjects, such as social studies and science, that have different topics to cover in different grades, the curriculum

expectations in each grade are not just about the facts students are expected to learn. There are many common skills for students

to learn, such as research, scientific inquiry, experimentation and problem solving. The teacher might present research skills to

the whole class, then assign grade-specific research projects.

At other times, the teacher will present two different lessons to the students, based on the different curriculum for the two

grades. While working with one grade level of students, the teacher will have the other students do individual or group projects

or work in learning centres in the classroom.

Studies show that students in combined grade classes learn as well as other students

You may be concerned about how well your child will learn in a combined grade class. Years of research show that students in

combined grades do just as well academically as students in single-grade classes. In fact, some students actually do better in

language and reading.

You may also wonder about the emotional impact on your child—will your child receive the same amount of individual

attention from the teacher in a combined grade as in a single-grade class. It’s important to understand that the number of

students in the class, not the grade structure, determines the amount of time the teacher has to spend with each individual

student.

Students in combined classes often do better emotionally and socially. Combined grade classes have been found to foster greater

independence, better social skills and increased motivation to learn.

In our experience, parents may be concerned when their child is first placed in a combined grade class, but once they become

familiar with the concept, they feel more comfortable, and they’re pleased with their child’s progress and school experience as

the year progresses.

Help your child succeed in a combined grade class

You’re important to your child's success—in a combined grade, the same as a same-grade class. The more you know about your

child’s education, the more you will be able to help your child learn and succeed.

Here are some ways you can support your child’s learning.

Become familiar with the curriculum for your child’s grade. You can find it on the Ministry of Education website at

www.edu.gov.on.ca or in your school library.

Read information from your child’s teacher and school. Ask your child to tell you about schoolwork that is brought home.

Talk with your child about her school experience.

Communicate with your child’s teacher about his individual learning needs. If you have questions, talk to the teacher about

the strategies that are being used to cover the combined grade curriculum.

Connect with the school. Attend parent information nights and other school events. Volunteer at the school if you have the

time. Attend a school council meeting.

Get more information

Talk to your child’s teacher or principal.

Visit the Ministry of Education website at www.edu.gov.on.ca.

Call the Curriculum and Instruction department of Peel District School Board,

905-890-1010 or 1-800-668-1146.

Visit the Peel board website at www.peelschools.org.

Stay Tuned! Tuesday, October 15th= Little Jammerz Guitar program!

Starting on October 15th, Little Jammerz is coming back to Copeland. This

fantastic Guitar program will be on Tuesdays during the second Nutrition break.

Stay Tuned for more information next week!