Westwood Public School

January 2016 Newsletter

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE: Happy New Year and all the best to you and your family in 2016! The winter weather is upon us. Please be sure to send your children with warm outdoor clothing including a coat, snowpants, boots, hats and mittens. We have extra hats, scarves and gloves for students to use when needed. They are located in the front foyer in bins for student use. New Winter teams and clubs will be starting right away. Be sure to encourage your children to listen to the announcements and sign up for extra-curriculars at school. We are very happy to announce that we will be running the Triple P: Positive Parenting Program from the Public Health Unit on Tuesday, January 19th from 9am to 11am. This is a fantastic, award winning program that helps all parents use positive strategies when dealing with common parenting challenges. To sign up, please contact Mr. Anderson at 519-823-5450 ext 224. School starts at 8:50 each day. We have yard supervisors outside starting at 8:35. Please do your best to make sure your children arrive on time each day so that they can have a good start to their learning. Kindergarten Registration for September 2016 will begin on January 28th from 4:30pm-6:30pm in the school gym. If you have a child, or know of children who are turning 4 years old in 2016, please be sure to come to the school on January 28th. READING BUDDIES: On behalf of Westwood students and staff, Mr. Anderson and I would like to thank the Reading Buddies for their commitment to Westwood. We appreciate their time and expertise as they work with our students to improve their reading skills. HIGH SCHOOL PARENT INFORMATION NIGHTS: Guardians and Grade 8 students are welcome to attend the following Parent Information Nights: GCVI on January 12th from 6-9 pm. College Heights January 13th 6:30 - 8:30pm Tour the school, see the classes, and meet the teachers. These information nights are evenings where you will have the opportunity to hear about all of the Grade Nine courses offered at each of the Secondary Schools and will provide you some guidelines to help you choose the appropriate courses for your son or daughter. Teachers from GCVI and College Heights will be coming to Westwood this month to assist with course selection for our Grade 8 students.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT: Congratulations to all students who participated in the Christmas concert. What a talented group of students Westwood has! Thanks to all the staff who helped out, and a special thanks to Mrs. Warnholtz for all her efforts. It was great to see so many children perform and so many from our community come to enjoy the festivities!

STUDENT COUNCIL: Student council would like to thank all students, parents and other community members for their support during the holiday events. It was fun to see everyone wearing special colours and hats for the various dress up days, especially all the teachers as Christmas trees! Thanks, too, for supporting our student council and buying Candy Grams. Lots of people received special candy cane treats from family and friends. December was fantastic and the school spirit was contagious! This month's theme is “ZEST”. Our Wonderkids assembly will be on Friday January 29 as well as a “WACKY”spirit day! Be ready to wear ‘wacky’ clothes, socks, hats or whatever you can imagine! PD DAY: Reminder of our next PD Day on Friday, January 22nd, 2015. There is no school for students on this day. WONDERKIDS: Congratulations to our December winners! The theme was Cooperation. Kindergarten: Nakita, Lucas, Gwen Grade 1: Lily, Gavin Grade 2: Omar Grade 3: Maliyah Grade 4: Natasha, Ashley Grade 5: Dilani Grade 6: Nina, Amaija Grade 7/8: Vinrey, Amandeep, Noble LIBRARY NEWS: Thanks to everyone who returned their books before the holiday. Mrs. Warnholtz had a BIG job shelving all those books. This month we will be starting the “Forest of Reading” book clubs for all grades. This is a Canada wide program that brings Canadian authors and students together. Encourage your child to join! January will also be tech month at our “Maker Spaces” in the library. Students will be given opportunity to explore ‘Cubelets’, Sphero’ and more! MILK ORDERS Milk Order forms for February to April will be going home the week of January 11th. Please send the order form back to school by Friday, January 15th if you're interested.

WESTWOOD SAFETY PATROL: Students on our Westwood Safety Patrol Team perform a very important duty each and every day of the school year. It is their responsibility to look out for the safety of our students as they walk to and from school. In order for this to happen, patrols need the respect and cooperation of all Westwood students. As parents, you can help by encouraging your child to obey safety patrols at all times and use the patrolled crosswalks. Safety Patrol Students patrol at the following crosswalks at the following times: Rhonda & Willow, and Westwood’s Parking Lot at 8:35-8:50 & 3:20-3:35. Note: On extremely cold days when the temperature reaches -25 or less including windchill, safety patrol students will only be on post 5 minutes before the morning bell (8:45-8:50) and five minutes after the dismissal bell (3:20-3:25). Hot Chocolate: Patrols who are on post need to bring a mug on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays for hot chocolate. A warm thank you for all your outdoor work! Congratulations to our Star Patroller for the Fall 2015: Taylor H Parking Lot Access: Please remember that vehicle access to the parking lot is strictly prohibited 15 minutes before and after school for the safety of our students. Safety Patrols are located in the parking lot to direct students and parents to use the path to walk around the parking lot and to help monitor vehicle access to the parking lot. Please respect and obey our Safety Patrol Students, they are just doing their job to ensure the safety of all our students. Questions or concerns? Please direct any questions or concerns you may have regarding our Safety Patrol Program and restricted parking lot access to Mrs. Topping or Mr. Anderson. We ask that you do not confront our Safety Patrol Students directly. Upcoming Patrol Events: Hot Chocolate Program - January to March FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION: Kindergarten Registration will be held during the day on February 1st -5th, 2016. We will also be holding registration on the evening of Thursday, January 28th from 4:30-6:30pm. Eligible students for the Junior Kindergarten program must be four years of age on or before December 31, 2016 and students must be five years of age on or before December 31, 2016 to register for Senior Kindergarten. Please note: students currently in Junior Kindergarten do not need to register for Senior Kindergarten. Parents are required to complete the “STUDENT ADMISSION FORM” (Version 19) which is found on the Upper Grand District School Board website- www.ugdsb.on.ca/admission and provide the following information to register their child for kindergarten:

● Proof of birth date. ie Birth Certificate/Canadian Citizenship, Permanent Resident Card. The following website allows parents to complete their Birth Certificate Application on-line or print off a blank application – http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on/ca/mbs/ssb/forms.nsf/AttachDocsPublish/007-11076E~1/$File/11076E.pdf

● Proof of Date of Entry, if born outside of Canada (i.e. stamped passport, citizenship & Immigration Canada documentation, statement notarized by a Notary Public, Permanent Resident Card or Confirmation of Permanent Residence document)

● Proof of and full address (i.e. driver’s license, purchase/rental agreement, bank statement, or hydro bill.)

● Current Immunization Record ● Custody Order documentation (if applicable) CLUBS & TEAMS Intermediate Girls and Intermediate Boys Basketball is starting the first week of January. Ms. Fitzgibbon is running an Intermediate Games Club during the morning recess. Mrs. Shrives and Mr. Anderson will be starting the very popular Books and Ball Hockey program again. DATES TO REMEMBER Jan 4 - Return to School Jan 11 - Grade 8 GCVI Course Selection 1:30pm Jan 12 - Guelph Police Presentations (Grade 6-8) Jan 12 - Grade 8 Parents' Night at GCVI 6pm to 9pm Jan 13 - Grade 5/6 to River Run Jan 13 - Grade 8 Parents' Night at College Heights 6:30pm to 8:30pm Jan 19 - Power of Positive Parenting - 9AM Jan 20 - Grade 3/4 to River Run Jan 22 - PD Day (no school for students) Jan 27 - Fluoride Screening Jan 28 - Grade 8 - College Heights Course Selection 12PM Jan 28 - Kindergarten Registration 4:30-6:30 Jan 29 - Wacky Spirit Day & Wonderkids Assembly @ 1:45pm

Talking About Mental Health January 2016- Apps for Mental Health Today it seems like there's an app for almost everything! Apps can be useful for helping us to learn and practice new skills. Interactive apps can help children and youth learn about how to identify feelings, how to relax, and even about navigating social situations. Check out some of the apps below and learn together with your child. Apps are not a substitute for talking with a professional, so be sure to contact your local mental health agency if you or your child needs support. Touch and Learn – Emotions (Free) Encourages children to look at body language and facial expressions to help them identify feelings https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/touch-and-learn-emotions/id451685022?mt=8 Mind Shift (Free) An app designed to help youth cope with anxiety http://www.anxietybc.com/resources/mindshift-app Smiling Mind (Free) An app that guides children and youth through simple, calming meditations http://smilingmind.com.au/ Relaxing Sounds of Nature (Free) Listen to the calming sounds of nature https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/free-relaxing-sounds-nature/id345747251?mt=8 Zen Space (Free) Relax by raking sand and creating a tranquil space https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/zen-space/id371463710?mt=8 Zen View(Free) Relax by listening to rain and watching water swirl https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/zenview/id499881701?mt=8 3 Minute Mindfulness (One strategy is free. Full app is $4.59) Learn simple deep breathing strategies https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/3-minute-mindfulness-breathing/id982502810?mt=8 I Know How You Feel (“Lite” version is free. Full version is $11.99) Children learn how to identify feelings in specific situations https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/i-know-how-you-feel/id960352272?mt=8 Kailey Thompson, MSW, Specialized Mental Health Interventionist, compiled and tested out the Apps. Dr. Lynn Woodford, Psychologist, is the Mental Health and Addiction Lead for Upper Grand District School Board Follow me on twitter: @drlynnwoodford

A closed-quest ion: These are questions with a specific answer. Here are two examples:Why do some stars twinkle?What colours mix to make purple?Closed-questions are great questions for your child to look-up in a book, or google.

An open-quest ion:These are questions that could be answered in many ways. Here is an example:How can we best support the Syrian refugees?Open-questions are great questions for you to explore with your child. Discuss with them what they already know, and help them form their own answer.

TIPS FOR INQUIRY AT HOME

Now-a-days ?knowing stuf f? is no longer enough. Any resourceful student with an iPad could sit in f ront of the TV and Google al l the quest ions to Alex Trebek's responses on Jeopardy, and get them correct . We are moving away f rom simply "knowing content ," to being able to apply knowledge in interest ing, creat ive, and crit ical ways. To accompl ish this, students and teachers need to ask the right quest ions. Asking the right quest ions is what inquiry is al l about .Children are great at asking quest ions. They are natural ly curious, and are constant ly asking quest ions to make sense of their world.

INQUIRYHOW TO SUPPORT INQUIRY AT HOME

- Resist providing the answer- Resist giving a procedure (math)- Ask questions to clarify their

thinking - Ask your child to explain the

reasons behind their answer

Instead of just tel l ing your child the answer, t ry one of these st rategies. First , you can get them to look up the answer. This wil l help them develop the abil i ty to solve their own problems. Or, you can ask them "What do you think?" This wil l give you insight into what they al ready know, and then you can ask them more quest ions to guide them to an answer.An inquiry-based approach is seen throughout the Ontario Curriculum. Students learn best when they are formulat ing their own quest ions and working towards solut ions through discussion with their peers.

All images are used, with permission, from the creative commons.