1. education
2. school

Pam Spero
Principal
905-734-3208
Amy Morocco
Vice-Principal
905-734-3208
Wes Hahn
Superintendent
905-641-1550
Sue Barnett
Trustee
905-734-7110
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
May 2015
Academic Goals at Diamond Trail include:
Literacy:
Numeracy:
* Building confidence, risk taking, and a community of readers and writers
* Students thinking about reading and communicating their thinking
* Students being able to organize and express their ideas in writing (including topic
development)
* Building a community of mathematicians - celebrating mistakes, explaining our
thinking, justifying our answers, being risk takers, and building confidence
* Students being able to solve multi-step math problems
* Developing a deeper understanding of balanced mathematics and making
GR
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Planning Today to Energize Education for Tomorrow
DSBN Trustees are supporting student success by revitalizing our public schools. An important part of
this process is the role of Accommodation Reviews.
On March 26, 2015 the Ministry of Education released revised Pupil Accommodation Review Guidelines (PARG) and the DSBN has revised the Accommodation Review Policy to align with the new Ministry Guidelines.
You are invited to provide your comments on this new policy. From May 6 to June 3, 2015 please
go to www.dsbn.org and click on the “Accommodation Review Policy Feedback” button. You may
also provide comments via mail. Please send to Lora Courtois, Superintendent of Planning, District
School Board of Niagara, 191 Carlton St. St. Catharines, ON, L2R 7P4
APPROPRIATE DRESS CODE
FOR WARM WEATHER
With the warm weather approaching we would ask that you please review appropriate dress
with your child while at school. You can refer to our school’s Code of Conduct on our
website and/or your child’s agenda.
EXTRA CLOTHING:
In effort to limit calls home and interruptions at work we encourage parents to consider
providing your child with extra socks etc. during this time of year. Although we try to make
appropriate decisions not to let the students play in the field when it is extremely wet,
sometimes accidents happen.
SHORTS:
If students are wearing shorts, we request that the shorts be worn to at least the length of
your son/daughters arms while they are at rest at the side of their body.
SLEEVELESS TOPS:
If sleeveless tops/halter tops are being worn to school the width of the straps must be equal
to the width of your son/daughters three fingers.
Dressing for success means that no staff member or student should be showing
undergarments/underwear at anytime. If the dress attire is not appropriate then the individual
will be asked to change their clothing and/or clothing will be provided.
EQAO TESTING
Just a reminder to parents of our Grade 3 & 6 students that we will be holding our annual
administration of the EQAO Assessment from Monday, May 25 through to Friday June 6.
It is very important that all students are at school and on time during these days.
Please remember that students perform to their best ability with lots of sleep and a good
breakfast.
END OF DAY ROUTINES
If you are picking up your child(ren) at the end of the school day please do not go upstairs and wait in
the hallway or stand outside the classroom door. Teachers and students will make their way downstairs where you can meet your child. You can wait at the bottom of the stairs, at the main office area
or outside. When adults go upstairs it interrupts the learning, distracts your child(ren) and adds to an
already congested area. Thanks for your cooperation in this matter.
SKATEBOARDS AND ROLLERBLADES
Long-boards, skateboards, rollerblades, etc. are not permitted on school property as per the
Diamond Trail School Code of Conduct. If these items are brought to school the school is not
responsible if they are lost or stolen. They are to be fastened up and used off of school property.
BICYCLE SAFETY
As the nice weather approaches we are aware that students are anxious to ride their bicycles to
school. It is important to remember the importance of bike safety and proper use of the safety
regulations and school practices when travelling to and from school.
 Walk your bike at busy corners and on school property
 Obey all traffic signs and signals
 Drive on the right hand side of the road
 Drive single file on the road
 Carry parcels in your carrier
 Never ride with two on a bicycle
 Be sure to give correct hand signals when you are going to stop or turn
 Lock your bike to the bike rack, preferably with a combination lock
 Stay away from parked bicycles during the day
 Safety helmets are required by students riding to and from school
PIZZA LUNCH
Check out the monthly calendars to see
when we will be offering our pizza days.
Reminder that pizza is pre-ordered, forms go
home on Friday and are due back first thing
Monday morning. Pizza is $1.00 per slice.
Our Pizza days are usually held on Wednesdays but some months may change so
please consult your calendar. On May 27 we
will be having Egg Salad Sandwiches with
celery & carrots.
RECOGNITION AWARD ASSEMBLY
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 @ 2:00PM.
ALLERGIES!!!
Please be advised there are a number of
students attending our school this year with
severe allergies which can cause an
anaphylactic reaction. An anaphylactic
reaction is an allergic reaction so severe that
in some cases, it can be life threatening. At
this time, we are insisting that no products
containing nuts be sent to the school and if
these products are consumed at home that
students wash their hands and brush their
teeth thoroughly prior to arriving at school. It
is crucial that we work together.
Reminder to all parents/guardians:
DO NOT PARK in the school bus loading
zone, we have many parents pulling up and
dropping their child/ren closest to the front
door, this is for BUSSES ONLY so please
use other parking areas. We have received
many complaints recently and we are asking
for your cooperation in this matter.
Heritage Fair
On April 16th, Diamond Trail held their first Heritage
Fair. Students in Mr. Mueller's, Mrs. Battiste's and
Mrs. Soto's classes participated in the Fair. There
were 70 projects. The focus for the projects was an
Inquiry project in which they had to choose a
Canadian person, event, invention or cultural/social
aspect and justify why it should have a statue built in
its honour. A wide variety of project themes were
created. Students presented their projects to judges
and were evaluated on presentation skills,
information and their ability to justify their choice. Six
students were selected to advance to the DSBN
Heritage fair being held at the Niagara Falls Museum
on Tuesday May 5. Our event was a big success
with many excellent projects on display. The
students chosen to represent Diamond Trail will be :
Mataya M.
Ciara K.
Ayden D.
Lauren G.
Ali C.
Sammy S.
Congratulations to all students for creating an
excellent show.
Enter the Kingdom of Books
Snack Shack Thursdays
Reminder: the snack shack is open every
Thursday during both breaks in room
108. All items are $1 and the selection
includes a variety of baked chips,
popcorn, goldfish, trail mix and more!!
Proceeds are used to assist with the cost
of school trips. Thank you for your continued support.
Prepare to enter the Kingdom of Books when the
Scholastic Book Fair comes to Diamond Trail from
May 5-8. Everyone is invited to attend by royal
decree!
There will be fun activities, great contests and a
special family event on Thursday, May 7 during
lunch (12:55 – 1:45). For every book that your little
prince or princess purchases, s/he will be entered
into a draw for a chance to win FREE BOOKS!
There are two ways to purchase books:
Students will visit the Book Fair during class time and
can purchase books during that visit, or
you can visit the Family Event on May 7 (during
lunch) and purchase books with your child
Nutrition Program/Breakfast Club/Special Lunches
Our Nutrition Program and Breakfast Programs will be offered for the students here at Diamond Trail
Public School. Breakfast Club begins at 8:35 and healthy breakfast items are served. Our nutrition
program is held daily during our first nutrition break. Students are provided with healthy snacks. These
snacks are available for all students; however students may choose to bring their own ‘nut free’ snacks.
The snacks provided are from 3 food groups usually consisting of a grain, fruit/vegetable and dairy.
SPECIAL NOTE: Volunteers are needed for these programs to help prep and serve. If you are
interested and would like to help us out, please contact the office.
Absenteeism
Thank you for your cooperation in calling the school when your child is going to be away. If your child is
going to be from school, please call the school to provide a reason (i.e. sick with flu, cough, cold,
appointment, etc.) Please note the answering machine is always available for parents to call in
absences. If your child is sick, please do not send them to school, this will help avoid the spreading to
other children and staff.
Reminder to all Parents
Our breakfast program DOES NOT start until 8:35 am please do not send your children in until this time.
Campbell’s Soup Labels
Diamond Trail Public School is collecting Campbell’s soup labels. The bin is at the office
so please send your Campbell’s label’s in with your child. For more than 38 years, the
Labels for Education®program has been committed to helping schools earn FREE
educational merchandise, like art supplies, sports equipment, classroom resources and
much more. Please remember that the labels must have the barcode on them.
PLEASE
REPORT ANY
SCHOOL
VANDALISM
AS SOON
AS YOU
SEE IT!
From the 4/5 and 5 Classes:
A big, heartfelt thank you goes out to all the students and families who supported our second annual
Dragon Games Day! The gym was filled with student made games and everyone enjoyed testing their
luck and skill! The day of fun-filled activities helped us raise over $1000! This was unbelievable! Thank
you, thank you, thank you! The money is being used to offset a portion of our trip in June. The students
are really looking forward to the trip as it will be an exciting experience.
Thanks to all that helped out.
Mrs. Battiste and Mr. Mueller
What ‘s Happening at the Welland Public Library—Diamond Trail Branch
Upcoming Events @ the Library
Board Game Showdown
Saturday, May 9 and 30: Noon
Do you love playing board games? It’s a great way to spend the afternoon. Come to the
branch library and test your skills with your friends. This is a drop-in program
recommended for children 4-14.
Wii Weekends
Saturday, May 16: 1:00-3:00pm
Stop by the branch library for this special Wii day. Bring your friends and have fun playing
from our selection of Wii games. No registration is required. Recommended for kids 5-12.
Movies @ Diamond Trail
Big Hero 6
Saturday May 2: Noon
A special bond develops between a plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro
Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes. Rated PG:
102 minutes.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Day
Saturday, May 23: Noon
Alexander’s day begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by more calamities. However,
he finds little sympathy from his family and begins to wonder if bad things only happy to
his family- who all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very
bad day. Rated PG: 81 minutes.
For more information on the programs and services offered at Welland Public
Library, please visit our website at www.welland.library.on.ca
Grade 8 Graduation
Grade 8 graduation will be held on Tuesday, June 23rd in the Diamond Trail
gymnasium. The ceremony will begin promptly at 6pm with the presentation of
graduation certificates, followed by all awards. Immediately following the
ceremony parents and grads are invited to the main foyer to celebrate with a
light snacks. Opportunities for pictures to be taken.
If you are a parent (guardian) of one of our grade 8 students, please plan on
attending our ceremony and enjoying this event.
Invitations will be sent home with the graduates in late May
or early June.
On Monday, June 22nd we will be providing a light luncheon for our grade 8
grads followed by an intermediate dance from 2:00pm-3:00pm.
Summer HEAT 2015
We are pleased to offer SUMMER HEAT, a primary Summer Learning Program, again
this year. The program will run from Monday, July 13th to Friday, July 31st for students
entering JK to grade 4 in the fall of 2015. Kindergarten Kick Start is for students entering
junior and senior kindergarten in the fall, while Funshine Kids is for students entering
grades 1, 2, 3 and 4. This three week program is entirely FREE, but space is limited so
please be sure to register early. Registration can be done online starting Friday, May 1st.
The program will begin at 8:15 a.m. with breakfast provided, and it will end at 12:15 p.m.
Students will be involved in a variety of learning opportunities throughout the morning,
with a focus on literacy, numeracy and active living. We are excited about being able to
offer this amazing program to our families. Check it out on the DSBN website at
www.dsbn.org/summerheat
Summer HEAT will be offered at the following sites:
St. Catharines - Edith Cavell (literacy and mathematics site), Connaught (literacy
and mathematics site), Lincoln Centennial (literacy and mathematics site), Grapeview
(Aboriginal site with literacy)
Welland - Diamond Trial (literacy and mathematics site)
Niagara Falls - Simcoe Street (literacy and mathematics site), Valley Way
(Aboriginal site with literacy)
Port Colborne - De Witt Carter (literacy and mathematics site)
Fort Erie Area - Crystal Beach (literacy and mathematics site), Peace Bridge
(Aboriginal site with literacy)
NEW sites:
Beamsville - Senator Gibson (literacy and mathematics site)
Welland - Princess Elizabeth (Aboriginal site with literacy)
Ways to Increase Your Child’s Math Confidence
Have your child play on ‘Dreambox’ daily or as much as possible (15-20
min./day)
To access Dreambox simply go to the DSBN website, click on Schools, click on
DiamonTrail. On the bottom right side of the page you will a Dreambox icon.
Click on the icon . Your child simply clicks on their class and enters their
assigned password or click on their assigned picture to allow access to the
program.
Play games involving dice (recognize facts to 12). (eg. Sorry, Snakes and Ladders, etc)
Have your child count his/her piggy bank (sort coins, name them, count their
values).
Play Monopoly (counting money).
Talk about sharing food equally (one for you, one for you, what do we do with
left overs?).
Play cards (Go Fish, War, Crazy 8’s ect.).
Ask your child to read road signs with numbers when walking/driving (speed limits, exit numbers, etc.).
Check your child’s height.
Make cookies, play around with the measuring cups
If your child has arrived at an answer a different way than how you would have
solved/showed it/learned it, don’t correct it, celebrate it and accept it. We are
trying to encourage them to be math thinkers and find a way that works for them
to help increase their confidence and understanding of math.
Together we can help your child accept and believe that they are a mathematician
and are good at math!
Thanks to Mrs. Gotfryd for sharing her classroom ideas in our
newsletter.
The Primary Division will be selling Freezies during May and June to help off-set
the cost of our year-end trips.
They will be available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays beginning Monday,
May 4th. We will be selling the jumbo size for $1 each.
We appreciate your support!