Inside This Issue:

Principal’s Message

Trick-or-Treat

Dance-a-Thon

PL Day

Safety

Flu Prevention

Chai ‘n Chat

Website

School Council

Walk to School

Bus Drivers

Travel to School

Teachers

Litter

Draw

235 Kingswood Drive Brampton, Ontario

L6V 3B3

Phone: (905) 457-9971 Fax: (905) 457-6598

Safe Arrival (905) 457-9971

Principal: S.Gravesande Vice Principal: R. Walker

October 2014

Need Info? Check these websites frequently:

Our School Website: www.schools.peelschools.org/1536

To see if your child’s bus is late: www.stopr.ca

Building Bridges to the Future!

We stand for... Caring—Cooperation—Honesty—Inclusivity—Respect—Responsibility

In September our entire school ran to support the legacy of Terry Fox and to raise money for cancer research. Our run was very successful, and students raised money in memory of many family members who have had the disease.

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Tips for being a smart trick-or-treater Halloween is a fun and exciting time, but safety should be the number one concern. Here

are some safety tips for children: Wear a properly fitted costume that is bright and non-flammable. Use reflective tape on your costume so

you can be seen in the dark. Use face makeup or enlarge the eyes on your mask so you can see well. When wearing a mask, push it

up on your head while walking. Teach children to visit the front door of well lit homes and never go inside. Help your child plan a route and a time to be home. Remind children to always walk on the sidewalk, and obey traffic and pedestrian signals. Have an adult check treats at home before allowing children to eat them. Younger children should go trick-or-treating with an adult. Older children are reminded to trick-or-treat

in groups. Teach children their home phone number and how to call 9-1-1 if they have an emergency or become

lost.

The fall season is upon us, and after the busy month of September, we are easing into the month of October. I would like to extend my thanks to all of our families who were so supportive and understanding of our Reorganization process. Because of an increase in our expected enrolment, we added an 8th Full Day Kindergarten class and reconfigured a Grade 2/3 class into a Grade 1/2 class. We also readjusted some classes at other grade levels. We are confident that our new school organization will serve the best interests of students in our school. I offer our congratulations to all the students who participated and donated to our Terry Fox Walk/Run. This Canadian hero was a role model that taught us all that with drive and perseverance, nothing is impossible! We are lucky to have such a strong symbol of courage and strength whom we can admire for the work to support cancer research. Our donations and support of this campaign make a HUGE difference!

In the upcoming month, you can expect communication about Halloween on October 31. We want to reinforce that participation in Halloween activities including wearing costumes at school or wearing fall colours is com-pletely voluntary. As a school, we will make sure that all students—should they choose to dress for the day or not – will feel equally included and respected as part of our Kingswood community.

We will also embark on our first fundraiser. A Dance-a-Thon is a fun and easy way for parents to participate in assisting us in raising funds for our school. Last year, funds from our fundraising campaign supported subsidies for field trips, incentives for students, iPads, an iPad mobile cart, library books, costumes for performances and much more. We hope that you will consider donating generously to support this activity that will occur on October 24th, with the support of our newly elected School Council! We look forward to the month ahead!

Ms. S. Gravesande Principal on behalf of the Kingswood Drive P.S. staff

October 2014 Page 3

Please participate in our Harvest Fall

Dance-a-thon to help raise money to

support our school!

Details coming soon!

Professional Learning Day

Friday, October 10, 2014.

No School for Students!

Continuing Education International Languages program for K-12 students The opportunity to study a language in addition to English and French can benefit all students, society in general and an increasingly independent world, including: Students with no prior knowledge of a particular language; Students whose first language is English or French and who wish to study their home languages as a

second or third language; Students whose first language is their home language. The International Languages program is based on Oral Communications, Reading and Writing in languages other than English or French. Grammar and Language knowledge are incorporated into each of the three skill areas. Any student who is currently enrolled in a Peel District School Board elementary or secondary school is eli-gible to attend. Classes operate each Saturday from September 20, 2014 to June 13, 2015, except for holiday weekends and school vacations. Credit classes are 3.5 per day and run from 9:00am to 12:30pm. Elementary classes are 2.5 hours per day and run from 10:00am to 12:30pm. Registration begins in mid-August and runs until March Break for elementary classes and until October 16, 2014 for credit classes. In partnership with School-day, Continuing Education offers an online, cashless reg-istration process. Please visit the website at www.peelschools.org/conted/il for further information.

Safety Reminders: At all times,

visitors MUST sign into the office and

pick-up a visitor badge before enter-

ing the school. Also, adults should

not be interacting with students while

on the playground during break

times—please come to the office and

we will bring your child to you.

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Prevent the flu. It’s in your hands.

Hand washing is the most important way to prevent the spread of infection. Always wash your hands with soap and water when they are dirty. Clean your hands before: touching your eyes, nose or mouth

touching/preparing food or drinks

eating or drinking

caring for someone in your home who can easily get sick

(baby, elderly or someone who has an unhealthy immune system) first aid

Clean your hands after: touching pets or other animals

touching raw meat, particularly chicken

touching surfaces such as a railing or grocery cart touching money

touching objects sick people have touched

touching blood or body fluids such as urine, vomit or feces

contact with those who have a cold, the flu, diarrhea or virus of any kind

changing diapers

wiping your own or a child’s nose

sneezing or coughing

using a facial tissue

using the washroom

removing gloves

cleaning

gardening

What to do when you cough or sneeze: cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve

put used tissues in the wastebasket clean your hands with soap and water or a hand sanitizer

For more information call Peel Health at 905-799-7700 or visit www.peelregion.ca/flu.

October 2014 Page 5

CHAT N CHAI

PARENTS/GRANDPARENTS ARE INVITED

Looking to meet new people and have fun? If so this is the Club you are looking for! Join us to learn and

practise your skills in fun and friendly environment. Learn about different topics each month and celebrate

different cultures. This is a great opportunity to socialize with people from your community. Language

support in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi is provided.

Come join us for free coffee, tea, and chai and hang out!

It’s Free It’s Fun It’s For You

Our first meeting is on October 16th (Thursday) from 2:00pm-3:00pm at Kingswood Drive Public

School. We look forward to meeting you. If you are interested in participating, please contact:

Marvee Shah at 416-471-4854 or marvee.shah@bmccentre.org

Keep up to date with our website subscription service

Our website also features a subscription service where you can sign up to receive email notifications for school news, calendar events and volunteer job opportunities. You can also choose to be notified via email and/or text message for critical news, such as school closures due to bad weather. Click on the subscribe link on the left-hand side of the main page of our website.

Congratulations to our newly elected School Council: Romena Khan Co-Chair Anne Szeto Co-Chair Wendy Hill Treasurer Rowena Santos Secretary Barb Jamieson Secretary

They are planning our first fundraising event, a Dance-a-Thon, to be held on October 24 for the students! Our next meeting will be held October 22 at 6:30pm in the library. All parents are welcome to attend.

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October is International Walk to School Month! According to the 2011 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card, 93 per cent of children and youth are not meeting Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. These declining activity levels are linked to obesity, illness and chronic diseases (i.e., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer). Using active transportation for the school journey is one of the easiest ways for students to get regular daily physical activity. Managing time to allow for the walk or bike ride to school will become a positive habit that leads to children arriving on time, refreshed and energized for the school day. In fact, Universi-ty of Illinois research has found that just 20 minutes of easy walking boosts performance in the areas of the brain that support math and reading achievement. Walking to school also helps out the environment. Eliminating just four short trips per week can reduce emissions by up to 100 kg of carbon dioxide per year. Families that participate in active travel to school can prevent almost 1,000 kg of carbon dioxide per year and save money in fuel costs as well. Also, when more children walk to school and fewer parents drive their children, the areas near school zones become safer for pedestrians. That is why our school will be participating in International Walk to School Month on October 8. On that day—and throughout the month, if you can—walk, bike, blade, scooter, skip or hop to school….but don’t drive!

Peel schools will pay tribute to bus drivers on Bus Driver Appreciation Day on Oct. 29. The day will be celebrated with special activities and events that provide teachers, students and parents an opportunity to thank the people who safely transport over 36,000 students to and from school each day. If your child rides the bus to school, take this opportunity to thank the bus driver for his or her contribution and ask your child to do so too. The Peel board appre-ciates the important job bus drivers do each school day and Oct. 29 provides an opportunity to give these individuals the recognition they deserve.

Oct. 29 opportunity to say 'thanks' to bus drivers

Safety reminders ensure safe travel to and from school

School bus safety week is October 20 to 24 According to the Canada Safety Council, it is 16 times safer per kilometre to travel on a school bus than in a family vehicle. However, while bus transportation is safe, accidents do occur and many of these incidents involve individuals outside the bus. To ensure children stay safe in and around school buses, it is important to reinforce the following safety re-minders: Tips for riding the bus

Take a seat as quickly as possible, put belongings under the seat and stay seated.

Never stick anything out of the window, including part of your body.

Refrain from eating on the bus. If a choking incident occurs, the driver may not be able to help immediately. Wait until the school bus stops before standing up to exit the vehicle. Tips for exiting the bus:

When getting off the bus, take two large steps away from bus. If you have to walk in front of the bus, do so at least three metres (10 giant steps) away from the bus.

The driver must be able to see students exiting the bus and will give a signal when it is safe to cross. If more than one student is crossing in front of the bus at the same time, they should cross in single file. Children must never reach for something that is under the bus without the driver’s permission. Let the driver know that something is under the bus or wait until the bus moves out of the way. Tips for walking to school:

Help your child establish a safe, direct route to school. Avoid potential safety hazards such as train tracks, busy intersections, and reinforce what safety precautions to follow.

Stay on sidewalks whenever possible. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road and walk facing traffic.

Cross streets at intersections and at crosswalks and learn to look to the left, the right, and the left again before proceeding.

Wait until traffic comes to a stop before crossing. Make sure drivers see you before you cross. Don't assume the driver will stop for you. For more information about school bus safety, visit www.elmer.ca or www.safety-council.org.

October 2014 Page 7

Celebrate World Teacher Appreciation Day

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Since 1994, parents and students from around the world have celebrated World Teacher

Appreciation Day to commemorate the work of teachers and their

contributions to society. During the week of October 5, take the time

to let your child's teacher know he or she is truly appreciated. Thank your child's teacher and let them

know they are making a difference.

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How to prevent litter at school

Did you know that litter is a safety hazard, discourages development, lowers property values and costs money? According to the Region of Peel, litter can attract animals and insects, harm pets and serve as a breeding ground for disease. Here are some tips for reducing waste at school:

Provide your child with a litter-less lunch which could contain:

refillable water bottle

returnable, reusable or refillable drink containers instead of plastic bottles and cans

snacks and sandwiches stored in plastic containers

fruit that requires no wrap such as bananas, apples, oranges

Put trash in the appropriate container. If a recycling bin isn't available, ask where you can find one and hold on to garbage until you can dispose of it properly.

Reduce and reuse as much as you can before you recycle. Reuse plastic bags, the other side of a sheet of paper etc.

If you see litter, pick it up!

List 3 things you read in this month’s newsletter… (Please Print)

1) ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2)_____________________________________________________________________________________ 3)_____________________________________________________________________________________ Student Name: ______________________________________________Class:_________________

Parent/Guardian Signature:_____________________________________Date:__________________

A draw will be held each month for those students who submit their tear-off portion of the newsletter to the bin in the office.