Sacred Heart Catholic School 434 John Street Port Lambton, ON, N0P 2B0 Ph: (519) 677-5391 Fax: (519) 677-5518 Notifying the School Please phone the school if your child is going to be absent from school. You may leave a message on the school voice mail if it is more convenient for you. School Hours 8:15 Entry Bell 8:15 to 9:55 First Instructional Block 9:55 to 10:25 First Nutrition Break 10:25 to 12:05 Second Instructional Block 12:05 to 12:55 Second Nutrition Break 12:55 to 2:35 Third Instructional Block 2:35 Dismissal Inclement Weather In case of inclement weather, please listen to the local radio stations (CFCO and CKSY) for announcements regarding bus cancellations. Sacred Heart School is in ZONE 5. If busses are cancelled due to fog, busses will run in the afternoon. If busses are cancelled due to snow and the school is open, busses will NOT run at the end of the day. www.schoolbusinfo.com No Peanuts or Nuts We ask that you refrain from sending food or snacks that contain nuts to the school. Principal: Mrs. C. Lambert Secretary: Mrs. T. Barr Newsletter #5 January 2015 Principal’s Message Dear Parents, Happy New Year and Welcome Back! We hope that this newsletter finds you and your family happy and healthy in 2015. As we start back to school, the staff of Sacred Heart School will continue to hold high expectations for students. January is a great time of year to set new goals and motivate your children to reach their fullest potential. We will continue to focus on small group reading instruction and proportional reasoning in Mathematics. December was a busy month at the school. It was wonderful to see such a large crowd at our Christmas concert to enjoy the various talents of our students. St. Nicholas came to visit our students and shared information about the history of Santa Claus. We also enjoyed fun activities such as our PJ/ Popcorn/Movie Day. Thanks to all who made December a month of many wonderful memories. Thanks, also, for contributing to the various collections that took place in December. Your food donations made their way to people in our community who needed them and your hat/mitten/scarf donations made their way to Toronto where I’m sure they are being enjoyed during these cold winter days by the homeless. We collected almost 800 items during our drive, and congratulate our Grade 1/2 class for bringing in the most items. They were the winners of a pizza lunch, courtesy of the Optimist club. As always, we thank the Optimists for their generous and ongoing contributions to the youth in our community. Since all classes met their goal, the other classrooms were also awarded with a pizza snack for their efforts, courtesy of our student activity fund.. Special thanks to Mrs. Baertsoen and the Grade 3/4 class for organizing the collection of food and clothing for us. We also thank you for your generosity and support of these initiatives. Our New Year Wish for You Happy New Year This year may you be blessed with the things that money cannot buy. FAITH to move the obstacles that life puts in your path. HOPE that empowers optimism and endurance when the days are dark and dreary. And most of all, the security and comfort of LOVE that makes life and living possible. Virtue Winners Congratulations to the following students who were selected by their teachers as having demonstrated Christmas Spirt and the virtue of Compassion in their dealings with others during the month of December. Compassion: Madden R., Ava M., Amy T., Chloe B., Alyssa A. Christmas Spirit: Brianna F., Noah V., Ivy M., Carter M., Sydney P. CWL Christmas Baskets We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Shirley Johnston and the Port Lambton CWL for sponsoring a Christmas Food Basket raffle to support the students of Sacred Heart Catholic School. Monies raised will support student activities. Winners, as selected at our Christmas concert, were Patti Taylor and Barry VanLandeghem. Congratulations to our top ticket sellers, Alyssa J. and Alyssa A. Our grade 7/8 class sold the most tickets in the school. We thank them for their leadership and support. We also thank you for buying tickets for this very worthwhile cause. St. Pat’s Open House St. Pat’s will be holding a Family Open House and information session on Thursday, Jan. 15. Grade 8 students will attend an orientation session from 9:30 to 12:15 and will have a tour of the building. Lunch will be provided. Parents and students are also invited to attend a welcome and information session which will take place from 6:00 to 8:30 pm on Thursday, Jan. 15. At 6:00 pm, there will be a welcome and information session in the cafeteria. At 6:45 there will be an information session and activities in the gymnasium, including a tour of the updated facilities. We hope that you will be able to take advantage of this opportunity to visit your Catholic High School. Volleyball Our junior girls volleyball team is having a great season. Congratulations to the team and special thanks to their coaches, Ms. Verstraeten and Mrs. Cadotte. Team members are Makayla B., Gracie G., Samantha H., Emma O., Isabella B., Chloe Bl, Megan B., Darlene B., Colleen H., Sydney K., Brooke L., and Avery P. Grade 8 Grad Photos Graduation Photos for our Grade 8 students will be taken on Monday, January 26. Page 3 Newsletter #5 Director’s Message Helping Your Child to Succeed at School 10 Tips to help your child with reading (Grade 4 to 6) Source: Ministry of Education Website 1. Keep reading with your child. Kids are never too old to be read to … or let your kids read to you. Read a variety of material – magazines, newspapers, books, poems and comic books. Try cutting out or printing interesting or funny articles to share with them. 2. Public libraries today are worlds to explore so try and go regularly. Your library has great resources – books, computer games, DVDs, CDs, magazines, newspapers and Internet access. There are also terrific in-house programs such as reading circles for little ones and homework clubs for older children. If you have access to a public library, talk to the librarian about what is available. 3. Read some of the same books as your child. There are many books that are loved by people of all ages. Ask your librarian or child's teacher for suggestions. You can share your thoughts and ideas, and have great conversations about the characters, stories or topics. 4. Ask your children what they're reading. Ask what it's about and what is most enjoyable about the book. Ask your child to describe it to you. 5. Tap into interests and hobbies. Kids are more likely to read about what they find really interesting, like sports or crafts. Don't worry if it's a comic book, magazine or an illustrated novel, just remember all reading is good and tastes will change as they get older. When you go to the library, let them choose their own books. 6. Find books that relate to TV shows. Let's face it, TV and video games are part of life now and our kids benefit when we help them learn how to think about these messages too. We also know that some kids find TV and video games fascinating. You can use this to your advantage–introduce them to books or magazines that relate to their favourite shows, movies or games. 7. Encourage your older kids to read to younger kids. The older child will practice reading out loud and the younger child will enjoy being read to. Best of all, they get to enjoy spending time together. 8. Play games together. Trivia games and board games such as Junior Trivial Pursuit® or Junior Scrabble® can be a fun way to learn about words and reading. Children have such a good time playing they don't realize they are learning. 9. Computers can be reading zones too! Though we all feel that kids may spend too much time on the computer, there are some great games that help kids with reading and allow them to create their own stories and books. Look for "parent approved" on the box in stores and in the library. 10. Give praise. The best motivation comes from your positive feedback. Whenever your child finishes a reading or writing assignment, ask about what was read and praise your child's effort. A special note: Educators agree that literacy skills develop and improve as a result of a wide range of activities. For example, a child's literacy skills are enhanced when parents who do not speak one of Canada's official languages read to their children in their native language. Children will benefit from this reading experience. Page 4 Newsletter #5 Read to Understand! Curriculum News Students who are in control of their own reading comprehension become purposeful, active readers. Here are a few ideas to help your child. Before Reading: Ask, “What do you think this book might be about?” If the book has pictures, look at the pictures without reading and talk about them. During Reading: Read together. Stop every few pages and ask your child to summarize what they’ve read. Ask your child, "Does this make sense?" If it doesn't, have them reread and talk about the part that didn't make sense. Discuss the meanings of interesting and new words that are in the story. After Reading: Hold a conversation and discuss what your child has read. For example, say "I wonder why that character acted that way?" or "How do you think he felt? Why?" and "So, what lesson can we learn here?". Help your child go back to the book to support his or her answers. A fun way to support comprehension of characters is to use the Akinator online. http:// en.akinator.com/ Simply think of a character and answer a series of questions about them, after which the Akinator will magically reveal the character’s name and picture. Your children will be amazed how often it is right! How to help your child with problem solving: One of the main reasons for studying mathematics is to develop the ability to solve problems. Problem solving is the process of applying what we already know to new and unfamiliar situations. By learning mathematics through problem solving, children can develop critical and creative thinking skills. How Can Parents Help?   Be enthusiastic. Let your child see how excited you are about solving a problem.  Ask Questions. A well timed question can open up your child’s thinking about the problem at hand and often help them remember what he/she learned in class.    Provide time and talk about problem solving. Be patient with your child. Let them work at their own pace. Talk, talk, talk! Talk about options, strategies and ideas for problem solving. Reinforce risk taking. Children need a great deal of security to risk being wrong. When they begin to realize that they can learn from their mistakes, they will try harder to complete the problem. Reward perseverance. Instant success is not always possible in learning mathematics. Encour age children to keep trying by asking them questions that will lead them in the right direction. Use children’s experiences. As often as possible, base problems on children’s everyday experi ences at school and at home. Check out this link for ideas http://www.figurethis.org/index.html. Page 5 Holy Redeemer Cluster News January Friday, January 16th Sacred Heart School Mass at Sacred Heart Church 9:00 am Saturday, January 17th 2nd Super Saturday at OLHC Parish Centre 9:45 am to 2 pm Sunday, January 18th Sacred Heart Family Mass at Sacred Heart Church 9 a.m. Sunday, January 18th R.O.C. Mass of Commitment 12:30 p.m. Lifeteen Mass; Uno Tournament follows! February Wednesday, February 18th Ash Wednesday Sacred Heart School Mass at Sacred Heart Church 9:00 am Sunday, February 22nd Sacred Heart Family Mass at Sacred Heart Church 9 a.m. kinderSTARt Kindergarten Registration for September 2015 kinderSTARt is a special one day event for parents to register their children for Kindergarten. It’s also a great opportunity for parents and children to learn more about school together! At Sacred Heart Catholic School, kinderSTARt will be held on Monday, February 2 from 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The program is offered in partnership with the St. Clair Catholic District School Board and our Best Start community partners. Through kinderSTARt children and parents have an early opportunity to visit the school, register for Kindergarten and meet staff in preparation for Full Day Kindergarten in the fall of 2015. We also welcome all younger siblings (18 months to 3 years) to attend. Our community partners are there to offer lots of helpful information about getting ready for school, such as ages and stages of growth development, good nutrition, healthy living tips and immunization. It’s a fun and informative event for the whole family! We hope to see you then!