J.D. Hogarth Public School Newsletter – November 2014 Principal’s Message: With November comes time for reflection, review and planning. These themes link to a variety of events at school and in the world around us. At JD Hogarth, we take time in November to review student progress as teachers are working hard to complete Student Progress Reports and teachers continuously reflect on student work in the classroom in order to develop lessons that meet individual student needs. When you receive your child’s Progress Report later this month, take time to review the learning skills or work habits with your son/daughter. In addition, the strengths and next steps will assist in improving student learning in subject areas. This Progress Report will provide students and parents with early and specific feedback on the progress made during the first two months of the school year. It will tell you how your child is doing in subjects using the words: “progressing very well”, “progressing well” or “progressing with difficulty”. After these reports go home, there will be an opportunity for parent/teacher interviews. This is your chance to find out how your child is progressing, what the school will do to help and what you can do at home to support your child’s learning. Also, on November 11th, we reflect and remember those who have fought and continue to fight for our freedom. Taking time to reflect on the term “freedom” helps us to remember how fortunate we are at JD Hogarth P.S. We sometimes forget the important things and people in our lives as our days become busy. At times we take our freedom, our community, our friends and more for granted. With our focus on the following character education traits (honesty, respect, fairness, responsibility, compassion), we are working hard to consistently show kindness and to promote a safe and inclusive community. At school, classes will take some time on November 11th to honour those people who have given so courageously for our benefit. Ms. Barrow Principal Progress Reports: Remember to mark your calendar for Parent/Teacher Interview Night on November 20th and all day Friday, November 21 st. Instructions on how to book your interview time will be sent home with your child’s progress report. Playground News: Exciting News! We have recently had new fencing installed on our playground that clearly outlines the boundaries for students. This includes fencing along the back parking lot as well as an entry gate by the day care. Thank you to all parents for respecting these boundaries and helping to keep our students safe. Scholastic Book Fair: DECEMBER 8-11 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Photo Retakes: Photo retake day is scheduled for Tuesday, November 25th. Indoor Shoes: As students are outside for recess either on the tarmac or on the field their shoes/boots can get very dirty and at times wet. Parents are asked to send indoor shoes or an extra pair of running shoes for their child. Please help to keep our school clean, and ensure that students are safe and prepared in the event of an emergency where we have to exit the school building. Chess Club: Come out to chess club in the library on DAY 5 during 2nd nutrition break. Intermediates first half and juniors second half. Tournament details will be sent home in early December. Please contact Mrs. Leitch if you have gently-used chess sets that we could use this year. Lost and Found: Please encourage your child to check the lost and found for any missing items. The lost and found area has many shirts, shoes and jackets. Remember to clearly label your child’s belongings so that we can return any lost items to the respective owner. Weather: With the unpredictability of our weather, it is strongly recommended that students come prepared with extra clothes. An extra pair of dry socks, splash pants for our wet field and mittens are always a good thing to have tucked into the backpack. As the colder weather will soon be upon us students are reminded to wear a warm coat, boots, hats and mitts for outdoor recess times. Lice: Please continue to be diligent in checking your child(ren)’s hair for lice. Once treated, students may return to school, provided nits are being removed at home on a daily basis. Please inform the school office of any cases of lice, but please know this information is kept confidential. Inclement Weather: During inclement weather, please note the following: Your child rides a “Centre Wellington and the Town of Erin” school bus. Our area is also referred to as “Division II” or the “Blue Card”. When you hear the radio announcement reference any of the above, your child’s transportation has been cancelled for the day. Please check the blue card that your child will be bringing home (bus students only) for specific radio stations. Parents can also check www.stwdsts.ca for bus cancellations. Information will be posted daily on the website by 6:30 a.m. Students who are “walkers” to our school are expected to attend school even when buses are cancelled! If you choose to keep your child at home on these days, please call in to the school to report their absence and indicate it is due to inclement weather. The Arts at Hogarth: Our Arts program at Hogarth is growing and growing. For many years we have been hosting a wonderful Arts Workshop day in the spring. Teachers and guest artists facilitate workshops on a huge variety of topics, including hip hop dance, pop art cartooning, sewing, swords and stages dance etc… A few weeks following our workshop day we have an Arts Open House to show off the work students have done in class as well as the beautiful results from the workshop day. In addition to these activities we have a large intermediate art club and a junior club should be starting soon. We are holding two fundraisers this year to support our Arts focused activities. MacMillans – On November 12th, MacMillan order forms will go home. MacMillans offers a wide variety of frozen foods (baked goods, appetizers, etc…) that are perfect for having on hand for the holiday season. Orders are due back by Wednesday, November 26th. Reflections Bookstore – We are thrilled to announce that for the first time, we have been offered a fundraising opportunity at Reflections Bookstore in Fergus. On December 6th, our school will be given a percentage of any purchases made at the store. Pre-ordering is allowed and ordering on the 6th is also available. Just remember to please mention that your purchase is supporting the J.D. Hogarth school fundraiser. This is a wonderful opportunity for our school and we hope that if you’re buying books for Christmas, that you’ll consider ordering and buying them from Reflections bookstore. From the Public Health Unit: November 2014 Get Your Flu Shot! The flu is a respiratory illness that spreads quickly from person to person. Common flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, joint pain, and weakness. The flu is more serious for the very young and elderly. They can get the flu from school-aged children who don’t seem sick but may have a mild case. Get your free flu shot. It protects everyone. Visit www.wdgpublichealth.ca to find a flu clinic near you. If you don’t like needles, there is an alternative. FluMist is a nasal spray available for children and adults ages 2 to 59. FluMist is not available at drop-in clinics. Call 1-800-265-7293 to make an appointment. There is a cost of $20 for the vaccine. November Environmental & Character Education Theme Save energy – show your COURAGE by being a leader Saving energy and reducing the use of electricity is necessary to help our planet. Electricity is a type of energy that was discovered over 100 years ago. One of the most common ways to make electricity is by converting other energy sources, such as coal, natural gas, and oil or solar, wind and falling water. Right now we get most of our energy from nonrenewable energy sources, which include the fossil fuels — oil, natural gas, and coal. Unfortunately the burning of fossil fuels to produce power causes air pollution an is linked to global warming and climate change, which is the gradual, harmful, increasing temperature on our planet. But the good news is that recently Ontario became the first province in Canada to no longer make electricity using coal-fired power plants! And we as individuals can also help solve this problem by learning more about it and making energy conservation one of our goals at school and home. Did you know? Turning off the lights in one classroom for one hour keeps over two pounds of pollutants out of the environment. Let’s remember to turn the switch off whenever we leave an empty room. We all can make a difference in helping the environment. Demonstrate your courage in making a difference and conserving energy by enforcing the following tips at home. Set your home’s thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter or a few degrees higher in the summer. Your family will save money and reduce greenhouse emissions. Turn off lights and all electronics (like computers, televisions, stereos, and videogames) when you leave a room. Use machines like washers, dryers, and dishwashers only when there is a full load and after 8pm when energy consumption is lower. Open your blinds or curtains on sunny winter days to let the sun shine into and warm your home. In the summer remember to close them and keep the hot sun out. It takes courage to make changes to your own habits and help others to do the same. But you have what it takes to be an environmental leader! Global Warming is not Cool! - Let’s go green, everyone! Dates to Remember: November 6 November 10 November 11 November 12 November 13 November 19 November 20 November 21 November 25 November 27 23A, 23B to Zehrs Junior Dairy Workshops 2C to Zehrs Junior Dairy Workshops School Council Meeting at 6:45 p.m. 34C to Zehrs 1A, 1B to Zehrs Progress Reports go home Character Ed Assembly Parent/Teacher Interviews 3:30 – 8:00 p.m. PD Day – no school for students Parent/Teacher Interviews 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Photo Retake Day Grade 8 students visit College Heights School Council Corner Lamontagne is in the books! Our first fundraiser of the year was very popular and we passed last year's Sales. Way to go staff, students and families! Chair of Council Jennifer Hatch (519) 803-2653 [email protected]