PRINCE PHILIP PUBLIC SCHOOL
3112 Dorchester Road N, Niagara Falls Ontario, L2J 2Z7 (905) 356-0521, Fax: (905)356-2163
Website: princephilips.dsbn.org
April 2015 News from the office…
Important Dates
Dear Parents/Guardians,
It goes without saying that we are ALL looking forward to
Spring and warmer weather ahead. With the Easter Break
soon upon us, we hope that our families have a great long
weekend together.
We would also like to congratulate Mme Klassen and her
husband for their well awaited new arrival, a baby boy.
Kenneth Klassen was born on March 17th weighing 8 pounds
5 ounces. We wish them much happiness with their new
bundle of joy.
Prince Philip welcomes Mlle Fodil, who is replacing Mme
Klassen for the remainder of the year. It has been a smooth
transition with the students and staff.
We would like to take this opportunity to further express to our
parent/guardian community how committed we are as a staff to
ensure student success. Staff work diligently to support
students in their academics and social/emotional development.
We have been working on many different tasks to enhance the
learning environment here at Prince Philip. Staff have been
working on developing small group instruction to meet the
needs of all our students. Math clubs for all grades are
underway every Wednesday from 3:00-4:00 pm.
In addition, we have secured a date for supporting
parents/guardians in further understanding and supporting their
child(ren) in Math at home. Dr. Cathy Marks Krpan, who
teaches in the Department for Curriculum, Teaching, and
Learning at OISE, will be here on May 27th at 6:30 pm. All
parents/guardians from our neighbouring schools will also be
invited to attend. Her focus is on student communication
through inquiry in mathematics and how to support your
children in today's math classes.
Ms. Racey will also be conducting a survey to better help us
meet your needs in supporting your child(ren). You should
expect this brief survey this week.
We thank you in advance for your continuous support and
team effort in building a strong learning environment for our
students. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not
hesitate to contact us.
Ms. L. Tisi, Principal & Ms. K. Racey, Vice Principal
Pizza Days—Thursdays (April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30)
Sub Days—Tuesdays (April 7, 21)
Pita Days–Tuesdays (April 14, 28)
Therapy Tails—Wednesdays (April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29)
Math Clubs Gr. 3-8 —Wednesdays (April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29)
April 2, 9—Go Girls
April 10, 17, 24, May 1—Game On
April 7th—Choir and Singers go to the Choral Festival
April 8th—Gr. 8 Grad photos
April 13th—Gr. 7&8 Vaccinations Part B
-Cystinosis Sunglasses Day for Abby
April 14th—Int. Heritage Fair—All Day
April 28th– National Day of Mourning
April 30th—Character Ed Assembly Jr. @11:00 Int. @ 11:30
--SAC Meeting @ 6:30pm
May 4th to 8th—Education Week
May 5th—PP Track& Field Day @ Oaks Park
May 15th—PD Day - No school for students
May 18th—Victoria Day Holiday
May 19-22nd—Gr. 8 Québec Trip
May 25th—Gr. 7 Trip
May 25th –June 5th—Gr. 3&6 EQAO Testing
May 26, 27, 28—Taekwondo
May 27th - Dr, Cathy Marks Krpan speaker on Math 6:30 pm 2 PP
June 3,5,9,11—Taekwondo follow-up session
June 9th—Gr. 7 & Gr. 3 Open House for our new students (6-7 pm)
June 12th—PD Day - No school for students
June 19th—Gr.8 Graduation @ Club Italia
June 24th– Term 2 Reports Go Home
June 25th—Last day of classes before summer break
June 26th—PD Day for staff
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
Congratulations to our March Character Trait recipients for
Citizenship/citoyenneté. April Character Trait is
Courage/Courage.
3/4FI4FI-14FI-24FI-35FI-15FI-25FI-36FI-16FI-26FI-37FI-17FI-27FI-38FI-18FI-28FI-377/88-
Yashvi P.& Anthony P.
Sofia K. & Avi N.
Bailey D.& Cameron K.
Kyle H., Sam R., & Mikayla T.
Ashley S. & Olivia S.
Jessica N., Drew K., & Andreas S.
David A. & Aleksandra P.
Tim S. & Kyla D.
Gabby C., & Aislin R.
Abbie M. and Emilie B.
Nicholas M. & Haven S.
Urooj K. & Lara P.
Milica M., & James P.
Nick D., Shelby W. & Camryn F.
Jessie Y., & Joshua L.
Sarah C. & Colin C.
Colby N. & Ella T.
Charmaine B., Emily B., & Samantha M.
Ayreanna J., Emily D. & Roan M.
SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL
Our Prince Philip School Advisory Council had their March
meeting on Thursday, March 26th. Our next SAC meeting
will be on April 30th, 2015 at Prince Philip in the Library.
All parents/guardians are welcome. The remainder of this
year's meetings are scheduled for May 21st and June 16th.
Student Medical Concerns/Anaphylactic Alert
We would like to remind parents/guardians that we have
students who have life-threatening allergies to peanuts/nuts.
It is our request that you do not send peanut or nut based food
as snacks with your child to school. Even a trace amount, or
even the smell of these products, can cause anaphylactic
shock and possible death. If your child is recently diagnosed,
please inform the school ASAP to ensure the safety of your
child. In addition, the DSBN requires an Emergency Action
Plan to be completed. These can be obtained at our Office.
GRADE
8
GRADUATION
WEDNESDAY, April 8th , 2015
PHOTO
DAY
IS
Is your child up-to-date on his/her immunizations?
The Immunization of School Pupils Act requires every
Public Health Unit to have one of the following on file for
each child attending school:
-an up-to-date immunization record, or -a legal exemption
document (a statement of medical exemption, or a statement
of conscience or religious belief affidavit).
Parents/Guardians of those elementary school children who do
not have complete immunization records (or legal exemption)
on file with Public Health should be notified by mail by the
Niagara Health System.
Parents may contact their health care provider to obtain
immunization records and/or immunizations. Public Health also
offers immunization clinics. To book an appointment for your
child or for more information call 905-688-8248 or 1-888-5056074 ext. 7425.
Students are asked to wear a white shirt/tie or blouse. If
students are unable, Lifetouch photography will have shirts and
blouses available for students to use for that day.
Bring your smiles!!
CHORAL FESTIVAL PARTICIPATION
INTRAMURALS
In the month of April, the Grade 5’s will be playing basketball.
We thank our supervising teachers and our student referees
for their support.
On April 7, the Junior and Senior choirs, along with the Prince
Philip Singers will perform at the DSBN choral festival at Laura
Secord Secondary School.
The full choir will present at 10:45 and PP Singers will perform
at 11:05. Bus will be departing the school at 9:40 am.
All questions can be answered by going to
ppathletics.weebly.com
Information is updated daily and this should be your go-to for
all athletics-related information. Be in the know and check us
out!!
CUTTING HAIR FOR CANCER CAMPAIGN
Remember, get involved at Prince Philip! If you are not, you
are missing out!
CUSTODY ORDERS
When couples separate or divorce, parents generally share
custody of the children. Sometimes, however, other
arrangements are made and set out in a court order. The
school cannot enforce these alternate arrangements unless we
have a copy of the court order on file in your child’s confidential
Ontario School Record. Should you have such a court order
that we should be aware of, please speak to the principal and
share the most current copy with the school office.
On Thursday, March 26, Lara P. and Urooj K. (Grade 7
students) arranged a fundraising assembly for families battling
cancer. Both girls cut off over 8 inches of their hair to donate it
in order to create wigs for those in need. They asked students
of the school to donate to their cause and the response and
initiative of our students was extraordinary. Overall, more than
$1100 was raised to go to two families within the community
who are combatting this disease.
We are very proud of the girls and were overwhelmed with the
Puma Pride that was on display throughout. Great job to the
girls and their classmates in demonstrating that a difference
can be made when we strive to help others.
We also thank Mr. Whitehead for donating his hair to the
cause!
PARENT INFORMATION
HEAD LICE
Outside the School Day Math Club
Let’s set them up for success… HELP IS AVAILABLE!
Each Wednesday from 2:55pm – 4:10pm, Prince Philip offers
an Outside the School Day Numeracy program to help
Intermediate students accomplish their numeracy goals.
•
Students will receive individual and small group
instruction and help with achieving the goals for each
session
•
Students bring their materials with them to each
session
•
Students will receive assistance with work related to
Numeracy
HOMEWORK CLUB
Prince Philip is now offering "Homework Breaks" during 4 days
per cycle:
•
•
•
•
Day 1: 12:30 – 12:50
Day 2: 10:10 – 10:50
Day 6: 12:30 – 1:10
Day 7: 10:10 – 10:30
These breaks will give students the opportunity to work on
assignments or other school work in the library.
Parents are an important part of controlling head lice. Children
are especially prone to these pests as they often play close
together where heads may come into contact.

Remind your children to put their tuques and
other headgear their lockers

Long hair should be braided or
pinned close to the head

Hats, combs, brushes should not
be lent or borrowed, and should be washed
regularly

Check your school age children.
once weekly for head lice
Please notify the school immediately
if head lice or nits are found.
When students are found to have lice or nits, parents will be
contacted and students will be sent home because our goal is
to keep the school lice free. The school sends information
home with all students in a class where head lice have been
found. This is also available for parents to assist in the
treatment of head lice.
Grade 3/4 FI "Louis la Grenouille"
GRADE 6 MATH CLUB
The Grade 6 Math club continues to run on Wednesday
afternoons from 3:00 - 4:00. We are very happy with the
turnout that we have been seeing. Students who attend Math
club have the opportunity to practice their Math skills with their
peers through games, activities and problem solving. We have
practiced concepts such as Comparing and Ordering
Fractions, relating Fractions / Decimals / Percents, and solving
complex pattern rules. Students who wish to join the Grade 6
Math club can join at anytime! We hope to see you soon!
The students are very excited about the upcoming presentation
of the play Louis la Grenouille. (see school calendar for dates)
This play demonstrates a great development of their reading
comprehension, oral pronunciation, and drama skills. Parents
you are in for a real treat and we are sure you will even be
more impressed by this second play. Also we have a special
treat for you at the end of the play. We hope everyone will be
able to attend!
GRADE 4 MATH CLUB
The challenges of the grade 4 math club have been met with
much enthusiasm by those students who are attending. Each
week since February, we have been focusing on extensions of
the units that are being taught in class. Keep up the great
work everyone!!
SILVER BIRCH READING CLUB
The Silver Birch Reading Club, made up of students in Grades
4, 5 and 6, meets once a week to select a book from a wide
variety of Silver Birch Award-nominated titles. Each week, we
discuss our choices and share favourite parts. This is a great
opportunity for our Junior Division students to be exposed to
great Canadian fiction and non-fiction authors.
We currently have hard copies of the titles in our school library,
as well as many other Silver Birch titles can also be accessed
on-line at no charge. The members of Silver Birch have been
shown how to do this.
We look forward to attending the Silver Birch Convention at the
end of April.
GYMNASTICS CLUB
Students are really enjoying learning some new gymnastic
moves and are working on developing a short routine to be
presented later in April at an assembly. Great work everyone
and many thanks to the parents and grade 7 student helpers.
ECO-CLUB
We have a very dedicated eco\recycling team who help with
the enormous job of recycling the plastic containers and paper
bins in the school every other week. Thanks team!!
Earth Day is April 22 and we will be planning some activities
to raise awareness about protecting our environment.
JUNIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
Our Junior Boys Basketball Team has been made and our season
has begun! The boys have already been practicing hard and we
wish them luck in their season!
Congratulations to the following athletes for being successful in
making the team: LJ, Jordan, Turner, Tim, Connor, Kaden, Peyton,
Nic, Stefan, Yigit, Daniel, Curin, Nathan, Cameron, Vojislav.
INTERMEDIATE GIRLS BASKETBALL
The Intermediate Girls Basketball team finished their season with
a 2 point victory against Glynn A. Green in the DSBN "A" final.
Congratulations to the girls on an outstanding season that saw
them go 18-0. With those 18 wins they were champions in the Tip
Off tournament, the EL Crossley Invitational and the DSBN
tournament. Way to go PUMAS!
Many students participated in the Me to We "We Won't Rest"
pajama day to help raise funds for Southridge Shelter.
Through hot chocolate sales and the pajama day buy-in, Me to
We, with the help of the school community, raised over 400 dollars
to donate to Southridge Shelter! Southridge was pleasantly
surprised with our donation, and they will use it to buy supplies
and food for the people they serve.
During our anti-bullying Pink Shirt Day on February 25th, Me
to We challenged the school to wear as much pink as possible to
show their support. In total, our members counted over 1000 pink
clothes and accessories worn school-wide to support the
campaign. Students also handed out over 200 Act of Kindness
Cards for acknowledging kind things they saw others doing, and
posted over 100 kind notes on other students' lockers. The amount
of positive energy in the school that day was incredible!
GRADE 7I & 7/8H SPELLING BEE
On Wednesday March 11th, we had a Spelling Bee Students were
given a list of 250 words from our Airborn novel. In the picture are
our top 10 finalists. There were five rounds of the competition
before our final speller won! Congratulations to all participants!
For the months of March and April, our Prince Philip Me to We
group will be taking on some great initiatives such as book drives,
taking a Vow of Silence, and supporting water aid for
countries in Africa. As usual, we look forward to seeing what the
Me to We students and whole school community are capable of,
and are thankful for everyone's continued support, motivation, and
engagement in all the initiatives we take on together.
Prince Philip's Breakfast Club
Based on school survey results from Term 1, our school and
community supporters at Niagara Nutrition Partners are planning a
school based Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club will run every
Monday, Tuesday and Friday starting on April 20th from 7:55am 8:25am. School breakfast clubs have proven to have many
positive influences on attending students and their school
communities, and Prince Philip is eager to provide this new
opportunity and experience to our students. A letter will be going
home with more information on this new program within the next
two weeks- so please stay tuned!
Math Minute(s)
Did you know that if you log into D2L, you have direct access to a
great many online tools available to all DSBN students?! There
you will find both DreamBox and Homework Help!
Remember (as outlined in our last newsletter) that students in
Grades 3 through 6 should be accessing DreamBox for at least 60
minutes weekly and that each session should be at least 20
minutes in length.
Homework Help (which is funded by the Ontario government and
administered by TVO's Independent Learning Centre) employs
Ontario certified teachers to provide one-to-one tutoring for
students in Grades 7-10.
Please see the February/March newsletter or call Mme Racey if
you have any questions about these great resources!
A goal of elementary mathematics education:
To develop life-long mathematicians who have the knowledge,
thinking skills, confidence and perseverance to solve problems in
their current and future lives.
According to the Ontario Curriculum – Grades 1 – 8:
Mathematics
The curriculum is designed to help build the solid conceptual
foundation in mathematics that will enable students to apply their
knowledge and further their learning successfully. It is based on
the belief that students learn mathematics most effectively when
they are given opportunities to investigate ideas and concepts
through problem solving and are then guided carefully into an
understanding of the mathematical principles involved. At the
same time, it promotes a balanced program in mathematics. The
acquisition of operational skills remains an important focus of the
curriculum.
In our math classrooms, we strive to allow students
opportunities to…
…delve deeply into problems and contexts to question their beliefs
and allow new understandings to emerge. Time is also devoted to
‘trying’, ‘practicing’ and ‘mucking about’ with new ideas. New
learning is always fragile. Using professional judgment, teachers
make instructional decisions that serve to reinforce new learning
and address misconceptions.
What about procedural efficiency?
Students also need to acquire procedural efficiency and
confidence. We want students to look at computations critically.
Not all computation strategies work well for all numbers. Not all
students will adopt all computation strategies with the same ease
but all students need to adopt procedures that work efficiently for
them.
To reinforce this, encourage your child to pull numbers apart in
ways that make sense to him/her and explore a variety of ways to
find a correct answer!
For example, talk about how you’d
find…

12x25

13x19

39+17
Try not to use a pencil and compare your strategies!
Limited Seating Available.
This event is free and open to
the public
RSVP online at:
http://brocku.ca/lifespan-dries
For more information contact
Jay e Morrisku.ca
Concussions - What
are they and what
can I do?
Presented by: Dr. Charles Tator
Monday, May 4, 2015
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Brock University - Welch Hall, Room
324
500 Glenridge Ave.
St. Catharines, Ont., L2S 3A1
Have you or a family member ever experienced a
concussion? During this community information
evening Dr. Charles Tator, Neurosurgeon, will
describe what concussions are and how they impact
the developing brain.
Along the way, Dr. Tator will use his own research to
explain how to best identify, treat and prevent
concussions — providing tips and information to help
parents, educators, practitioners, and coaches
better understand this important issue.
Limited Seating Available.
This event is free and open to the public
RSVP online at: http://brocku.ca/lifespan-developmentresearch/events/speaker-series
For more information contact Jayne Morrish - [email protected]
SOCIAL NETWORKING SAFETY
FOR PARENTS
Date: Tuesday, April 21st, 2015
Location: Victoria Public School Gymnasium
5635 Heritage Drive,
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Time: 6:30pm / Duration: 90min Plus Q&A
Guest Speaker: Paul Davis
Topics: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, CyberBullying, HandHeld Devices, Texting, Xbox & Playstation,
Legal Matters, and a Common Sense Approach to dealing with the technology your children have!
This presentation is targeted for adults
Light Snacks will be available
This is a presentation no parent can afford to miss!
We encourage you to bring other parents/friends from the community
Please sign the form below and return it to your child's school before April 15th
so that we can plan for seating and space.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Yes, we/I will be attending the Internet Safety presentation on Tuesday, April 21st at 6:30 p.m.
Name: _____________ ________________________No. of adults attending____________