2625 Franklin Street, Vancouver, BC V5K 3W7 October 2014 Denise Johnson Director of Instruction 604-713-5097 Ken Clement Liaison School Trustee 604-266-7616 PH: 604-713-5507 FX: 604-713-5509 Newsletter # 2 Donna Emeno Principal 604-713-5507 Janis Myers Vice-Principal 604-713-5507 Janeen Patchell PAC Chair 604-255-7157 Principal’s Message We’ve been back for a little over a week and already students are well underway with classroom activities and projects in their new classrooms. There is a great energy around the school as everyone works hard to get right back into teaching and learning. I must say that I was so impressed with all of the students at our first assembly this month. I was delighted with the exuberant atmosphere as it certainly showed that the staff and the parents have created a wonderfully, positive learning environment for the children at Hastings. At this assembly we reviewed the Hastings Code of Conduct and behaviour expectations. All through the year we will be teaching cooperation and respect, kindness and safety when at school. Every morning students make announcements promoting weekly virtues to help develop a culture of character in students. This reflects our School Goal of Social Responsibility. Literacy is another goal and we are focusing on student improvement in the area of writing. Our third goal is a districtwide Aboriginal Enhancement goal to increase knowledge, acceptance, empathy, awareness and appreciation of Aboriginal histories, traditions, cultures and contributions among all students. It’s going to be a great year, as usual, at Hastings! Welcome back everyone! Donna Emeno List of Classroom Division, Grade and Teacher Division Grade 1F K 2F K 3 K 4 K 5F 1 6F 7 8F 9 10F 11F 12 13F 1 1 1/2 1/ 2 2 2/3 2/3 3 Teacher Ms. Christine Gagnon Ms. Ann Munro Ms. Elizabeth Bion Ms. Wendy Mah Mr. Chris Donegan Ms. Sylvie Lavoie Ms. Rino Ms. Caitlin Steward for Kristiina Harris Ms. Sharon Wong Ms. Gloria Nystrom Ms. Marilyne Nadeau Ms. Fiona Berger Ms. Natacha Corrie/ Moria Vis Division Grade 14 3 15F 3/4 16F 4/5 17 4/5 18 4/5 19F 20 21 22 23F 24F 25 26 5 5 5/6 6 6/7 6/7 7 7 Teacher Ms. Karen Beattie Ms. Michelle Catalano Ms. Nathalie Davis Ms. Lisa Wall Ms. Katrina Wong-Rutledge for Teresa Hampel / Gabbi Morrow Ms. Alex Simonut / Simon Hansed Ms. Sandra Patrick Mr. Steve Kirby Mr. Chris Archer Ms. Isabelle Daoud-Herbert Ms. Daniele Carrara Ms. Gabbi Morrow/ Ms. Danielle Burkett Ms. Sheelagh Brothers Kindergarten Registration Procedures for 2015-2016 Applications for Kindergarten for the year 2015 – 2016 year will begin on November 1st. Catchment students applying for registration between November 1st, 2014 through January 31st, 2015 will be given first consideration over those who apply later. If you have a child born in 2010 or know someone that will have a child attending Kindergarten in September 2015 please register them during the above time frame in order to help guarantee your child’s placement in their home school. Stay tuned for upcoming registration proceedures. Supervision of Students Students are supervised before school from 8:40am to 9:00am and after school from 3:00pm to 3:20pm. Children should not arrive before 8:40am or leave after 3:20pm unless specifically requested to do so as part of an organized/ supervised activity, otherwise they ______________________________________ will be unsupervised. -------------------------------------------Shake Out BC Hastings school will be participating in the province wide earthquake drill on October 16th at 10:10am. Hastings staff is working on a detailed emergency evacuation plan following the Vancouver Board of Education Emergency Management Program. This will be one of two earthquake drills we will have this school year, the other being the Big One at 2 on Thursday, May 7th, 2015. School Lost & Found - There are jackets, many hoodie sweaters, shoes, rubber boots, socks, lunch containers, thermos, collecting in this area (lounge). If your child has lost any of these lately, please have him/her come down and take a look. These items will be removed to the free shelves within a couple of weeks if unclaimed. Elementary School Supply Fees A School Supply Fee letter has been sent home. This fee covers the cost of basic school supplies used for student’s personal use. If you have not already done so, please drop off your payment to your child’s teacher. As in past years, the Vancouver School Board will not deny a child access to the school supplies required for his or her educational program because of financial hardship. Parents and guardians who would like to request to postpone payment of the supplies fee or require the supplies fee to be waived for the current year, should contact the school Principal directly or in writing. Traffic Safety Please remember to exercise caution when dropping off or picking up children from school. Familiarize yourself with restricted areas and avoid double parking and U-turns. Don’t expect your children to run between cars to cross the street. Please acknowledge and respect all traffic signs and parking regulations. ______________________________________________ Student Valuables at School Parents are reminded that there is no Vancouver School Board insurance coverage for student belongings. Please leave all valuables at home. -----------------------------------------Please return your Student Verification Forms as soon as possible if you have not done so already. It is extremely important that any health issues be brought to our attention. Bikes, Skateboards and Scooters on School Property For safety precautions, please walk all bikes, scooters and carry skateboards when entering school property from 8:30am until 3:30pm. Thank you for your cooperation. A reminder that school is not in Dogs at School session on Monday, October 13th for Thanksgiving Day. As well , our next We kindly remind families not to dogs into the school for Professional Development Days are bring safety reasons (if an adult is able Friday, October 24th and Monday, October 27th . to carry the dog securely in their Peanut Allergy Reminder Parents and students are reminded that there are students in our school who have very serious nut allergies. While Hastings is NOT A NUT-FREE environment, we ask parents to be mindful of the kind of snacks/lunches they pack for their children especially if there are fellow classmates who are allergic to nuts. hands, we are able to make an exception). We have many students who are afraid of dogs or have allergies to them, and we are also very mindful of not wanting either a student or a dog to be unintentionally injured in the already crowded hallways. A reminder as well that any dogs on the school grounds must be on a leash. We thank you for helping us keep the school a safe environment for all. Hot Lunch Program A few reminders 1. If you are combining 2 or 4 student Hot Lunch registration forms in one envelope, please mark on the outside of the envelope the names and divisions of each child. 2. Fold the order form so the name of the child appears in the envelope window. 3. Please take careful note of the due date on the form, as these are sent away to the school board and NO LATE ORDERS can be accepted. School Nurse News Welcome back to school! As kids head back to the classroom, here are a few pieces of information to help ensure a happy and healthy school year. Immunizations Make sure that your child’s immunizations are up to date Vaccines are a healthy choice for your child. They provide immunity and help prevent the spread of disease. Children routinely receive vaccines before or during Kindergarten, and in grade 6. Vancouver Coast Health (VCH) Medical Health Officers advise that all children, ages 4 to 6, get the Tdap-IPV vaccine that protects against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and polio. Children should also receive vaccination against chicken pox (varicella). Parents can get free shots for their children from family doctors or from public health nurses at VCH community health centres. An immunization visit is also a great way to catch up on any other shots that may have been missed as part of a child’s infant vaccination series. Kindergarten clinics are currently being offered at community health centres around Vancouver. Children in grade 6 will be offered the opportunity to receive their recommended immunization at a school-based clinic; please keep an eye out for a consent form that will be sent home with your child. Chronic Medical Conditions It is very important to notify us of any chronic medical conditions (for example: diabetes or asthma) or severe allergies please let the school know in order to ensure that there is a plan in place to protect your child’s health during school hours. General Health There are multiple services available to help with a variety of possible health concerns. If you are concerned about any aspect of your child’s health (for example: vision, dental, hearing, nutrition or behavioural concerns) please don’t hesitate to talk to the school, or contact the school’s public health nurse. This school year, kindergarten students will be offered school-based dental, vision and hearing screening. Contact All Vancouver schools have access to a public health nurse who is available to help support the health of your child. The nurse for your school is Florencia Olivo. She can be contacted through the school, or directly at 604-872-2511, ext. 3348 Library News Dear Parents Welcome to both new and returning students and families! My name is Frances Renzullo-Cuzzetto and I am the teacherlibrarian at Hastings School Library. Some classes have had their first visits and book exchanges while others will be scheduled in over the next few weeks. Kindergarten parents will be receiving separate letters from me this week with more specific details. Parents, if you would like to see what books your child has signed out please visit, Webcat, our Vancouver School Board electronic library catalogue by typing in “VSB Webcat” in your browser search bar. Or you can visit the site at: http://webcat.vsb.bc.ca/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=#focus Under the tab, “My Account,” please type in your child’s BCeSIS number. (If your child does not know his/her number, have them ask their teacher or myself) Once logged on, you are able to see your child’s book list and due dates. If there is a problem with funds owing, or refunds from the library, please have your child drop by the library to discuss further. The annual September book fair has been postponed because of strike action. I hope to reschedule it again before Christmas as it is the only fundraiser for extra library funds. I always look forward to volunteers. If you are able to come into the library for shelf-reading a few minutes per week, it would be greatly appreciated. (Shelf-reading involves making sure books are in the right order based on the dewey system on the shelf, 678.8, 678.9,680.1 etc.) The library will be open on Monday, Tuesday , Thursday and Friday afternoons until 3:20 if your child would like to return or take out more books. Parents, feel free to drop by if you have any questions, concerns or comments. I look forward to seeing you and meeting you if you are new to Hastings School. Have a wonderful start to the school year! Mrs. Renzullo Raise a Reader Wednesday, September 24th was Raise a Reader Day. Here are some tips on creating a lifelong reader, taken from Home and School Connection:  Continue to read with your child at home. It’s free, it’s fun and it will bring you and your child closer.  Find a time each day when you and your child can get cozy and enjoy a good book!  If your child doesn’t already have a library card, sign them up!  Find books that expand your child’s interests (animals, outer space), deal with an event (a new baby, a visit to the dentist, and build character (friendship, truthfulness).  Ask librarians, friends and teachers for recommendations on stories for both information and enjoyment! Try real and makebelief stories, poems and chidren’s magazines. International Walk to School Week Did you know that October is the International Walk to School month? Check out the website at www.iwalktoschool.org. “Hike it. Bike it. I like it.” October is International Walk to School month! International Walk to School Week is October 6th to 10th and International Walk to School Day is Wednesday, October 8th. Walking to school is so important for so many reasons. It is a healthy way to start the day; it reduces pollution and creates a safer walking environment by having fewer cars on the road; and it is a fun way to be with friends. Some children walk to school everyday and we commend them for this! If the distance from home is too far for your child to walk, your child can still participate. You can drive part way to school and walk from there. Remember to think about pedestrian visibility. Pedestrians should wear light or brightly coloured clothes or reflective materials on their coats and backpacks to be more visible to others. Also, teach your children to cross at intersections and designated crosswalks. Teach children to look left, right and left again and cross only when it is safe to do so. Make eye contact with stopped or slowing drivers and continue watching for traffic as you cross. Translink will once again provide free transit for all students during International Walk to School Week. You may want to take advantage of this opportunity to take your child on a journey using transit. Translink has been providing options for students since 2005, as a way of acknowledging International Walk to School Week and as a prompt to encourage more parents, students and teachers to consider using transit for day to day transportation. Please check out the PAC's new bulletin board across the hall from the office. Read about all the upcoming events, monthly PAC meetings, sign up to volunteer and more. You can also read all about this on our website, or follow us on Twitter. Do you want to help out, but don't know how much time you'll have to do so? Sign up for our volunteer pool. You'll get "call for volunteers" email before each event and you can decide then. Or if you want to help out a little more, there are other committees you can volunteer for. To sign up just sign up on the list across from the school office or email us at [email protected] PAC Potluck and AGM - Wednesday, October 29th All parents and guardians are automatically members of the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) and are encouraged to attend any or all meetings. The next meeting is on October 29th and will start with a potluck dinner at 6pm followed by the meeting from 7-830 in the Multipurpose room. Please plan to attend to mix, mingle, and meet new parents, hear about what is happening at Hastings, have your questions answered (the administration will be there), and see how you can get involved with your child's school. Free childcare will be provided for the AGM portion of the evening - please call Adrianna at the community school office so that we can ensure that we have enough babysitters for the evening. _______________________________________________ Upcoming PAC meeting dates: Monday, November 24th 2015 dates to be determined... Monday, November 3rd, 2014 Doors open at 6:10pm in the School Gym Admission is FREE! Community News This notice is provided on a courtesy basis only to inform you of events occurring in the community. Welcome back! Fall 2014 Program Guides & Registration Forms are now out! Program Guides have been distributed to all students. We have added new programs to the list along with the multiple programs we have offered in the past. If you have not yet received one, come by to the Community Office and pick one up to register before they fill up!! Registration is on a first come first serve basis. Sun Mon Tue Winter Break Information: The Templeton Community Schools Team will be offering programs during the Winter Break! Please call the Community Office and speak to Adrianna Teoh if you have any questions at 604-713-5268 or e-mail at [email protected].' Wed Reminder: Return forms to teacher ASAP PAC AGM and Potluck 1 5 7 8 International Walk to School Day 14 15 6 Walk to School Week 12 13 Thu 2 Fri Sat 3 4 9 10 Photo Day 11 16 17 18 Lunch Envelope Due today Parent Coffee Club 9am Thanksgiving School Not in Session Shake Out BC 10:10am 19 20 21 22 23 24 PSA Day School NOT in Session 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Notes: Pro D School Not in Session PAC AGM and Potluck 6 – 830pm