GORDON PUBLIC SCHOOL, 468 Thorold Road West, Welland ON, L3C 3W6 DECEMBER & JANUARY

Tony D’Alessandro Principal

905-734-3730

Greg Watson Vice-Principal 905-734-3730

Wes Hahn Superintendent 905-641-1550

Sue Barnett Trustee

905-734-7110

Holiday Wishes!

Well as we prepare for the holiday season ..... the weather certainly does not

feel like it! I can't recall a fall that has been this mild in a long time. At

some point it will begin to get cold and we would ask that you remind your

child(ren) to dress appropriately for the outdoors. Speaking of the outdoors,

the fall was very busy with the installation of two new fun hoops for our pri-

mary and junior students, two new benches and the addition of an outdoor

classroom. In the spring, we hope to add a few new trees to provide shade as

we increase our efforts to "green" our property. We would like to thank all

the parents and students that joined us on our Internet Safety evening.

Some great information was shared. We would like to encourage our students

to continue to use Dreambox at home and strive to complete five lessons per

week. Thus far this year we have completed 25000 lessons as a school! As we

approach the holiday season we encourage everyone in the Gordon community

to be kind to their neighbors and look out for one another. That is what

makes Gordon a special place.

On behalf of the staff, enjoy time with your family and friends during this

special time of the year.

Best wishes to all,

Tony D'Alessandro and the Gordon Staff

Grade 1-8 Holiday Concert

Date: Tuesday, December 20th, Time: 6:30 p.m. Where: Centennial Secondary School Auditorium

INTERMEDIATE BOYS VOLLEYBALL

The Intermediate Boys Volleyball Team had a successful season this year! They ended the season as consolation finalists and were accepted into the Group 'A' DSBN Tournament. All team members displayed excep-tional sportsmanship and solid skill development through-out the season. Mr. Charles is excited for next season and would like to extend his thanks to all parents who vol-unteered their time to help drive players to and from games during the season. Way to go Grizzlies! Team Members: Dominic M Sam H Eric S Quinn B Mason T Cooper A Cody J

KINDERGARTEN CHRISTMAS CONCERT AND JOY DAY

All 3 Kindergarten classes, will be having a concert here at Gordon, in the gym, on Tuesday, December 20th. The concert will begin at approximately 9:00 a.m. ending at approximately 9:30 a.m. With 90 Kindergarten students involved and a small gymnasium, we will try our best to provide seating for 2 people per family. Immediately following the Kindergarten concert, we will run our Kindergarten "Joy Day" . One family member will accompany their child to the classroom where they will create Christmas crafts and have a special snack together. Joy Day activities will finish at approximately 10:30a.m. The Kindergarten teachers will be sending a note home soon outlining all the details for their Kindergarten Concert and Joy Day.

Last day of classes is Friday December 23, 2016. Classes resume Monday, January 9, 2017

P.A. Day Friday, January 20, 2016

JUNIOR BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Congratulations to the Junior Boys Volleyball Team for a great season! The boys gained many volleyball skills and grew as a team. They also went on to play in the playoffs, coming in 3rd place in the league. The boys represented Gordon with pride and school spirit. What an amazing season!

Team Members: Achilles P, Kian M, Jonah H, Mason S, Shrey P, Matthew P, Norman P, Nathan S, Dustin L,, Isaac W, Ian M,Cameron L, Dylan L, Ben H.

OCTOBER RECOGNITION RECIPIENTS

Class TEACHER CHARACTER - Respect ACADEMIC

1-1 Mrs. Filion Brooklyn .B Jagger. D. V

1/2 Mrs. Gaspich Aiden. C Hillary. L

1-1 FI Miss Sauve Madilyn. F Casey. M

1-1 FI Mr. Verwey Ellie. B April. E

2-1 Ms. Degelman Skyler. P Ryland. W

2-1 FI Mrs. Benson Erica. L Sophie. T

3-1 Mrs. Moore Brennen. G / Jimin. K Amber. S

3-2 Mrs. Knockheart Maia. S Hayden. D

3-1 FI Miss. Gardiner Jenna. W. L Hunter. D

4-1 Mrs. McQueen Aiden. S Autumn. P

4-1 FI Miss. Stickles Naomi. H Samuel. V

5-1 Mrs. Slaght Nathan. H Megan. G

5/6 Mrs. Bendlis Nathan. S / Aidan. C Addisyn. B

5/6 FI Mrs. Chatel Lila. A. V Abby. T

6/7 Mr. Costantini Ethan. R Olivia. D

6/7 FI Mr. Munderich Larissa.T / Isabella. B Gracie.J

7-1 Mr. Charles Aiden. W Grace. R

7/8 FI Mrs. Timlock Sam. H Evvi. L

8-1 Mrs. Rush Krysten. M Eric. S

French Mrs. Colonna-Spagnolo Alexander. H Ben. M

DREAMBOX WORKS!!!!

Students at Gordon regularly have the opportunity to improve their Math skills by using Dreambox. Re-search has shown that students who use Dreambox regularly, both at school and at home, have demonstrated greater confidence and proficiency when engaged in Math learning.

HOW STUDENTS ACCESS DREAMBOX AT HOME

Students log in to their school accounts from home the same way they log in

at school. Just like at school, students can use a desktop, laptop, iPad (2 or higher), or Chromebook.

New this year to School Cash Online, is a PERMISSION ONLY OPTION. During the school year we attend many events that has no cost to families. This new convenient option will not only provide more convenience to families but will also be more eco -friendly and save on printing and paper costs. How it works: You will receive an email alert that a new item is

being offered on school cash Check off permission Add to cart Go to checkout Click continue Click complete order

SCHOOL CASH

ONLINE UPDATE!

Mom, I lost my permission form!

That’s ok Tommy, I’ll do it on School Cash Online

SIGN UP TODAY!

www.dsbn.org/schoolcash

FOOD DONATIONS and the MITTEN TREE We will be collecting food donations and hats, scarves, and mittens to help families in our community throughout the holiday season. The bins and tree will be in our front hallway until the middle of December. Any help you could provide would be appreciated. Thank you!

STUDENT PICK UP AND DROP OFF

Regardless of whether students are late or leaving early, we ask that all students check in at the office. This enables the office staff to ensure that all stu-dents are arriving safely to class or being dismissed to the appropriate person. Furthermore, we would like to re-quest that parents/adults wait at the office at all times. If your child requires assistance getting to class, one of the office staff would be happy to escort them. Any in-formation you would like to convey to teachers can also be conveyed by the office or through your child’s agenda. Once classes have started we want to minimize the disruption to other students that are participating in the instructional day.

VISITING? SAY HI AT THE OFFICE!! Whenever you are coming to Gordon, please be sure to stop in the office first to say hi. The safety of every student in this school is im-portant to us. As a part of our Safe School policy all visitors MUST sign in at the office.

TOP 10 TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD WITH MATH

1. Connect math to daily life-Let them know the

importance of math! Talk about how you use math in your day-to-day life (at the store, in your job, around your house).

2. Counting can be fun and entertaining-Show them math can be fun! Sing songs (One, Two, Buckle My Shoe) and play games (card games, hopscotch, board games, dominoes, chess).

3. Start Easy and Work Up! - For example, after they’ve got counting by 1’s, talk about skip counting and count by 2’s, then 5’s and 10’s. Don’t jump ahead too fast.

4. Use household items for practice-Practice adding and subtracting with objects from the house like spoons or pots and pans.

5. Tap into your child’s curiosity—Go on a number hunt in your house.

6. Talk about time - Talk about seconds, minutes and hours, then count days and weeks. Ask them questions: How long until bedtime? How many “sleeps” until the weekend?

7. Practice mental math using coins—Count money or have them show you how much an item costs and practice making change for when they’re at the store.

8. Play the estimating game—Estimate meas-urements, distances, time and grocery bills and then compare to the actual.

9. Sports and Math—There is a lot of math in sports, such as batting averages, points per game and save percentages (discuss these as you watch the games or read the newspaper.

10. Computers + Math = Fun (there are lots of great computer games available to explore math).

PARKING

Our back parking lot off Clare Ave. is reserved for staff parking and bus loading and unloading. Our buses will board immediately upon dismissal and depart Gordon at approximately 3:15 p.m. each afternoon. Parents dropping students off prior to the start of school may also use this lot if they wish. Our front parking lot off Thorold Road will be available for all parent and visitor parking. Students picked up or dropped off during the school day should enter/exit and sign in/out at the office. At the end of the day, Kindergarten students will exit out the Kindergarten door and students in Grades 1-8 will exit at the main of-fice. Thank you for keeping our students safe!

PARENT PARKING CONSIDERATIONS

Please respect the areas designated No Parking., Fire Routes, Laneways and Handicapped only.

Please use the designated sidewalk and paths at all times.

Please be patient in our parking lot.

Be safe and watch for children at all times.

Consider parking away from the school (ie. side street) and walking.

Communication to Schools

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURES

There may be times during the school year where inclement weather or other situations could cause transportation cancellations or school closures. At times when student transportation has been cancelled and schools remain open, the decision of whether or not to have children in school on that day rests with the parent or guardian. Should you decide not to send your child to school in the event that transportation is can-celled but schools remain open, or if your child is ill or late, please ensure that you call your child’s school to inform them of your child’s absence. A key resource in any emergency is the DSBN Emergency Information form that you filled out at the beginning of the school year. Please let the school know of any changes in contact information or procedures you wish to be followed throughout the school year. For secondary schools it may become necessary to cancel late buses. Notice will be provided via school announcements and on the websites and subscription features by 11:30 a.m. Information about transportation cancellations and school closures will be available as soon as it is available through the following channels: Websites: www.dsbn.org www.nsts.ca Subscription Features:

DSBN Facebook or Twitter NSTS Transportation Delay or Cancellation Alerts Phone: Niagara Student Transportation Services 905-346-0290 Voice Auto Attendant

Radio Stations:

CKTB (610 AM) St. Catharines CHRE (105.7 FM) St. Catharines

WAVE (94.7 FM) Hamilton CHTZ-FM (97.7 FM) St. Catharines

CKOC (1150 AM) Hamilton 2DayFM(105.1 FM) Niagara Falls/Fort Erie

CHML (900 AM) Hamilton K-LITE-FM (102.9 FM) Hamilton

CHAM (820 AM) Hamilton GIANT FM (91.7 FM) Welland

Y-108(107.9) Hamilton

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! For the safety of all, Gordon School’s expectation is “leave it on the ground”. Please reinforce this at home. For the safety of all students, we ask them not to throw or kick snow. We have a “1-2-3” policy. If a student throws snow, a letter goes home and the incidences are tracked. The 1

st time is a warn-

ing, the 2nd

time is a detention /loss of privileges' and parent contact . The 3rd

time involves suspen-sion. Each situation is dealt with considering mitigating factors. Using progressive discipline, formal suspension may result.

Art and math have a lot in common with each other. In fact you can see the math in art and the art in math! Patterns, shapes, geometry, symmetry, spatial reasoning, proportional reasoning, etc… are all a part of the arts (visual art, music and dance), as they are of mathematics. Some of what you see your child doing in school in the arts, is also an engagement with mathematical ideas at the same time! By blending mathematics and the arts, students learn in ways that are intellectual, emotional and physical. Children learn in many different ways, and research tells us that participating in the arts is one way that is very engaging for all of us. A child stringing beads in a pattern on a string or creating a patterned bracelet is creating an understanding of patterning, although to them it may look simply like a pleasing design. When a child learns to play the piano, they are developing mathematical understanding of the relationships between scales, notes and chords. Sym-metry can be seen in the symmetrical features of a butterfly or in a design when building. Children may notice patterns in wallpaper, tile tessellations on the floor or on a phone cover, rhythmic beats or repeated choreog-raphy in music videos or chords in a popular song. There is math everywhere! How might you and your child notice and name the mathematics in the arts (visual, music and dance) that you encounter? Making the links helps deepen the understanding of both!

Interested in more?! Search on the internet for “golden ratio” to see an example of mathematics at work in

nature and art!

Talking About Math: Talking about mathematics with your child – whatever his or her age – helps strengthen his or her mathemati-cal reasoning and understanding. Some ways to keep the talk engaged and focused while you support your child include:

Revoice - Repeat what you heard your child say, then ask for clarification (e.g., “So you are saying it’s an odd number?”). Repeat/Restate – Ask your child to restate your reasoning (e.g., “Can you repeat what I said in your own words?”). Reason – Ask your child to apply his or her own reasoning to someone else’s reasoning (e.g., “Do you agree or disagree? Tell me why.”).

Adding On – Prompt your child to participate further (e.g., “What more would you add to that?”). Think Time – Wait several seconds (try five) to give your child time to think (e.g., “Take some time to think.”). You may be surprised by how hard it is to stay silent in that time!

Daily Decisions We all use mathematics daily in what we do. Involve your child in using numbers to solve prob-lems and make those everyday decisions with you. For example:

“Do we have enough plates and utensils for all the guests coming for the birthday party?” “We are doubling this recipe. How much of all the ingredients will we need?” “We are fertilizing the lawn. The fertilizer bag covers three square meters. How many will we need?” “This store is selling the game you want for 20% off of $27.00. That store is selling the same game for $19.99. Where should we shop?”

In general, a growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and ‘smartness’ can also be learned and that the brain grows from experience and effort. The opposite, a fixed mindset, is the idea that you are smart, or you are not. In math, that translates into “some people are good at math, and some are not.” Did you know that praising efforts rather than intelligence or results can im-pact your child’s ability to persevere in challenges?! The goal is to have children thrive on chal-lenges and see failures, not as a sign of low intelligence, but as a learning opportunity. Brain research tells us that making mistakes actually wires more connections into the brain! When a person has a growth mindset, they accept challenges, see their efforts as worthwhile, and are open to learning from mistakes. Students with a growth mindset achieve at higher levels than those with fixed mindsets. How can you help? Some simple ways:

Adding “yet” when they claim they are “not good at this” (Respond: “You are not good at this yet.”) Ask questions that focus on their effort and choices and get them to reflect on satisfaction of that effort (e.g. What did you learn today? What mistake did you make that taught you something? What did you try hard at today?) Model this yourself as you share about your day