DUKE EXPRESS PrIncipal’s Message

Happy Birthday, Duke! This month marks the 100

th Anniversary of Duke. A committee

of mostly community members has been working over a year gathering photos, reaching out to former grads, and planning events. On October 20

th, there will be a

homecoming for former grads, families and friends as well as for current students and families. It will be a day of reminiscing and celebration. I hope that you will take part in these celebrations of Duke’s proud past and its community.

Duke of Connaught Jr and Sr PS Duke of Connaught Jr and Sr PS Duke of Connaught Jr and Sr PS Duke of Connaught Jr and Sr PS –––– 100 100 100 100thththth

AnniversaryAnniversaryAnniversaryAnniversary

Saturday, October 20Saturday, October 20Saturday, October 20Saturday, October 20thththth 2012 2012 2012 2012

Please join us in celebrating100 years of service to

our community.

On October 20th from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, the doors

will be open to guests to wander through the

school, perhaps see old friends, visit decade rooms

and remember their days at duke and in the Ashbridge

community.

For more information regarding the 100th

Anniversary, please visit www.Duke100th.com

We Need Help!

We are looking for volunteers to help set up for the event on Friday evening and Saturday morning. We are also looking for volunteers to help out on the day of the event. If you can offer a couple of hours, please contact Mr. Svenningsen at 416-393-9455.

Thank you!

A Looney Drive!

At Duke, it has been a tradition of doing a penny drive. They used to line the pennies from the school to Woodfield Road. In order to defray the costs of the Homecoming, we are having a looney drive (one penny for every year of Duke’s service). Donations can be made at the office.

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Attention Grade 7 and 8 Students and Parents

The Guidance Program The guidance program focuses on the Choices Into Action document and covers the following areas: Student Development, Interpersonal Development, and Career Development. All classes in grades 7 and 8 will receive a guidance visit each week where they will participate in activities and be able to ask questions. The focus for the grade 8 students will be a smooth transition to high school. Timelines for Grade 8 Transition to Grade 9: Mid-October: Choices booklet showing high school open houses sent home October 17

th: Grade 8 Parent Information Night at 7:30 in the

Library. October – January: High school open houses Mid-January: List of closed/limited high schools is published; Optional Attendance forms handed out February 1: Optional Attendance Forms due to high schools Note: Specialized programs have a variety of due dates for their applications. Please make sure you keep track of these dates. Application forms are available at the high school info. night. More info. to follow! Ms. Bradbury’s Guidance Hours All day: Tuesday and Friday Afternoon only: Wednesday

Brain Waves: 10 Ways Reading Can Stimulate Learning (taken and adapted from www.howkidsdevelop.com) 1. Create a bedtime reading zone surrounded by his or her favorite things: a blanket, stuffed toy, night-light.

Why? Being in a familiar place stimulates all the senses at once, making the experience pleasurable and memorable and creating positive associations with reading.

2. Get Close. Have your child sit next to you or on your lap to provide him or her with a feeling of security. Why? When a child feels insecure, the body releases a hormone that can interfere with learning. Creating a warm, close bond makes the child comfortable and can help him learn.

3. Find Your Child's Pace. Start with short reading sessions and slowly build up to longer sessions. Why? There is a difference in what a child can do with guidance and what a child can do without assistance.

4. Act out the characters and use variation in your voice while reading the story. Why? This helps your child develop critical listening skills and makes reading time more fun. 5. Read with Your Eyes and Fingers. Run your finger under the words as you read. Why? Running fingers

under the text trains a child's eyes to follow words and symbols from left to right. Also, one of the first steps when learning to read is hearing sounds in the words.

6. Be Repetitive. Read favorite books more than once. Why? When a child reads a book over and over, he or she can learn to predict the outcomes and recognize patterns. This helps your child learn and store new information and builds upon his or her memory.

7. Make a Point. Point out pictures, shapes, colors, and page numbers. Why? This develops an understanding of printed material.

8. Word Power. Enunciate your words, but speak as normally as possible while reading aloud. Why? When listening to a parent read, a child listens to spoken language. This helps his ability to express thoughts and communicate using correct grammar.

9. Share and Compare. Make comparisons as you read. For example, "Which tree is taller?" Or, "You have blonde hair. What color hair does Goldilocks have?". Why? Comparing and contrasting helps children create connections and find meanings in these connections.

10.Play a Game. After finishing a story, ask the child what happened in the beginning, middle, and end. Why? This stimulates higher-order thinking because your child has to analyze the story and tell you in his or her own words what happened. This will also enhance your child's listening and reading comprehension skills.

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News From the Edible Garden

Our very own Edible Garden had a bountiful first year! Cucumbers, kale, carrots, runner beans grew en masse amongst the flowers that line the entrance of the SH Armstrong Community Centre. The season is hardly over, we still have bushels of tomatoes to harvest before first frost! Established by Patrick Darkhor's grade 7 class and volunteer parents, the garden was in the capable hands of Applegrove's summer camp students who kept the garden watered and weeded during the hottest months. We're already gearing up for next year's growing season and plan to expand the garden and get more students involved in this initiative to grow food for our school's nutrition program. A Call to All Students to Hand in a Drawing of a Carved Halloween Pumpkin! Duke's Edible Garden produced a perfect little pumpkin this year! To celebrate we're inviting all our students to come up with a design for Duke's very own Halloween pumpkin. Make it ghoulish or make it cute, just be sure to slide your brilliant idea in the box set up in the Main Office by Thursday, October 25th. There'll be a random draw that day & we'll follow the chosen design to a T for everyone to admire! Be sure to sign your drawing & state what class you're in. Sincerely, The Duke of Connaught Parent Eco Committee.

Science Lab News Hello Everyone! We are currently in the process of planting beans and seeds in the science lab. We are in urgent need of clear containers, of all sizes, suitable for planting. (This is so the students can seed the roots and plants grow and develop.) We are also in need of soil, suitable for growing plants. If you are able to donate any of these items to the science lab, please either contact me or bring them to Room 105. Thank you! April Hodgins

Parents & Caregivers, welcome back to another exciting year in the Duke Library! Student Book exchange is underway with many exciting changes to

our library commons. We have undergone an extensive cleanup over the summer and a reorganization of our collection. New bilingual book bags are on their way. All students are expected to borrow books weekly to reinforce literacy at home. Please note that lost book may incur a nominal replacement fee. Please read with your child and model reading at home; readers become leaders! The Forest of Reading will be back at Duke this year with an exciting new French picture book category – Le Prix Peuplier! Students will have the opportunity to read 10 new

Canadian books and vote provincially on their favourite one. If you are interested in volunteering in our library or you have any questions, please contact Ms. McDonald in the library. Happy reading Duke!

READING IS THINKING!

News from

the Library

Duke Fun Fact!

In the 1960’s, students at Duke put on a series of musicals like the one seen here!

Duke Fun Fact! Did you know that Duke prepared and performed a series of musicals in the 1960’s?

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Early Entry/Indoor Recess/Lunch Procedures

Morning Entry (Supervision begins at 8:30)

• A sign will be posted in the foyer indicating that parents should drop off their children in the basement or the Woodfield Gym

• Grades 1 – 4: Duke Basement; Grades 5 – 8: Woodfield Gym

Indoor Lunch

• 11:30 – 11:55: Primary students are in Woodfield Gym for attendance and quiet activities while Junior and Intermediate students eat lunch in the cafeteria

• 11:55 – 12:25: Junior students have quiet activities in Woodfield Gym, Intermediate students may go to SH Gym and Primary students eat lunch in the cafeteria

• Students who eat lunch off school property are asked not to return until entry at 12:30; however, if returning earlier, students should go to Woodfield Gym, SH Gym or the cafeteria, depending on grade

• 12:30: Teachers meet their students in either Woodfield Gym, SH Gym or the cafeteria

In case of TDSB for school closure due to weather conditions, please check the TDSB website or television news media

UpcominUpcominUpcominUpcoming Eventsg Eventsg Eventsg Events and Reminders and Reminders and Reminders and Reminders!!!!

Volunteers!

Please see Brian Svenningsen to complete the Annual Offence Declaration. This is a yearly update of Police Reference Check.

Safety First!

Please remember to visit the office when coming to Duke. If you are volunteering in a classroom, we will give you a visitors tag to wear while working in the school. If you need to speak to, pick up or deliver something to your child, the Office Staff will call your child to the office or deliver the item to your child.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Safe Arrival

If your child is going to be late or absent, please remember to call our Safe Arrival line at 416-393-9358. Thank you!

Coming Events!

• October 17th: Gr. 8 Parent Information Evening (Please see p. 2)

• October 20th: Homecoming for the 100th Anniversary (Please see p. 1)

• October 26th: Picture Day for the whole school

• October 30th: School Advisory Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the staffroom (Child care is provided)

WE NEED YOU!!!

Help us make October 20th a memorable event for Duke’s alumni!

If you can volunteer an hour or two on Saturday, October 20th to help with the

Homecoming event, please contact Brian Svenningsen.