February 2015 Newsletter - W.H. Day Elementary School

W.H. Day Elementary
Principal: Mr. Peck
Vice Principal: Mrs. Linton
V O L U M E
5 ,
I S S U E
6
FEBRUARY 2015
Secretary: Mrs. Senetchko
Clerk Steno: Mrs. Hollingshead
From the Desk of Mr. Peck….
Custodian: Mr. Tidi
whd.scdsb.on.ca
410 Maplegrove Avenue
Bradford, Ontario L3Z 2V4
Phone: 905-775-9691
Safe Arrival: Press 1
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
Parent
Survey
Results
2
Campbell’s
Labels for
Education
2
YMCA
Childcare
Survey
3
Grad Photos
3
Kindergarten 3
Registration
Thank you parents for responding to our survey. We received many comments which will help us
and help school council understand our community better. We had a tremendous response rate
of nearly 19%. Although our survey is not scientific, it does give us a good sense of how parents
are feeling. The summarized comments will be shared with staff and school council for discussion
and to act as a catalyst for change. Some suggested changes are not within our power to
implement (you might need to call your local MPP about those), but even those may give us new
ideas of how to keep our students learning and staying positive about school. Communication is
critical and Mrs. Linton and I are so pleased that we as a school are doing well in those areas
which address communication. We would like to see our website used more regularly, but that is
something which is getting better over time. The 7% who are dissatisfied with discipline is a small
number, but it represents actual students and parents, so that is a concern to us. Discipline is
always very personal and specific in nature, and although it’s my least favourite part of being a
principal, it is necessary from time to time. The biggest concern parents have about discipline is
whether or not we are being fair. Of course, we try to be fair, but our goal is always that students
learn from their bad choices so they don’t make them again. We operate under different rules
from the court system – their primary concern is justice. Our primary concern is learning. If at any
time in the future we need to discipline your son or daughter (I know, that’s not very likely – like
my own children – they’re angels), please be sure we explain our position well. Sometimes “our
hands are tied”, nevertheless, your input is valued. Discipline and punishment sometimes overlap,
but as parents, we know they are different. We try to keep this in mind at
school as well.
Mr. Peck
From the Desk of Mrs. Linton….
February brings the first set of “real” report cards for our students. Some students get excited, some
students hide them in their backpacks and hope their parents don’t ask for them. All of this (and
every reaction in-between) is normal. Sometimes it is tough to get feedback. Unless we know it is
going to be positive, rarely does anyone want to hear about all of the things they need to do
differently. That is okay. What is important is to remember that feedback is another chance to get
this right, to do better, to learn.
Mr. Peck recently sent out a survey to all of our W.H. Day families asking for feedback. We received
positive feedback, negative feedback and questions about school policies and procedures. All of this
is helpful because it helps us move forward to make our school even better than it already is. Our
W.H. Day motto says: “Always caring. Always learning.” Without our community’s feedback we
wouldn’t be able to be “always learning”. So thank you to those who took the time to send us their
feedback. As a parent, I share this tip: check your student’s backpack. Aside from old birthday
invitations, outdated newsletters and granola bar wrappers, you may just find a report card ;)
Mrs. Linton
Page 2
Thank you to
everyone who
participated in
our 2015
Parent Survey.
We received a
great response
and will be
sharing
comments and
suggestions
with staff and
school council.
The Results Are In….Parent Survey 2015
Statement
SA
A
D
SD
My child has a positive attitude about coming to school.
%
70
%
27
%
1
%
1
I am pleased with communication between home and school administration.
54
46
I am pleased with communication between home and classroom teachers.
66
32
3
I reference the school website regularly.
16
41
6
I feel welcome when I visit the school.
65
33
1
I read the school newsletter regularly.
66
30
1
I am pleased with school discipline policies, procedures, rules and guidelines for
behaviour.
49
42
4
I feel the cost of field trips and other school events/activities is reasonable.
48
42
6
Overall, I am pleased with the education my child is receiving at W. H. Day.
67
29
3
SA = Strongly Agree A = Agree D = Disagree
11
SD = Strongly Disagree
Notes: -Numbers do not always total 100 because of rounding and the occasional question left blank
-We received a completed survey from about 19% of our families
Campbell’s Labels for Education
WH Day is excited to have
received 12 new soccer
balls from the simple act of
collecting labels from
Campbell's products.
Campbell's Labels for Education has been a
fundraising program that
gives schools free
educational equipment in
exchange for labels from
various Campbell's
products. It's a fun, easy
program where students,
families and members of
the community join
together for a common
goal. WH Day's School
Council would like your
help to collect labels from
eligible products such as
Goldfish, Campbells Soup,
Prego, Pace and V8.
(www.labelsforeducation.c
a/english/
eligible.asp) during the
school year. Important tips
to assist this fundraiser:
1.. Ensure you have
provided the correct piece
of the eligible product
(example - the entire
Campbell's Soup Label with
UPC).
2. Bundle your labels neatly
in a flat manner.
3. Ask your family, friends
and co-workers to collect
too!
4. Send in your labels to
WH Day front office.
3
YMCA Child Care and SCDSB need to hear from you!
Before and after school (B&A) programs offer care programs for children in Kindergarten to grade 6 before and/or after the regular
school day and some schools offer full days of care on PA days and holidays.
B&A will only operate in schools if enough families require care.
To help us determine the needs of each school, a survey is being sent home with youngest/only students in kindergarten to grade
5 or you can also complete the survey online by visiting:
http://fluidsurveys.com/s/scdsbbeforeandafterchildcare2015/
Even if your child already attends B&A, it is still important to complete the survey.
Please be sure to fill out the survey online or return a paper copy to your school office by Monday, February 16, 2015.
Listings will be available in early spring 2015 confirming which schools will operate B&A in September 2015.
Grade 8 Graduation Photos
W.H. Day has scheduled a date
for our grade 8 graduation
photos. We will be using Green
Apple Studios, the same
photographer we used for our
school photo’s earlier this year.
Grad photo’s will be taken on
Thursday February 26th , 2015
at 9 a.m.
The photographer will be
providing any information
regarding preparation for the
photos prior to February 26th.
The photographer will be
providing a complementary
11x14 grad composite photo to
each student.
If you wish to purchase a hard
cover folder for this
composite they will be $10.
Envelopes will be provided for
payment and must be returned
on the day that grad photo’s
are taken.
Kindergarten Registration
Do you (or someone you know)
have a child who was born in
2011? If so, it’s time to register
them for Kindergarten in the
SCDSB! Beginning on January
26, Simcoe County’s public
schools began registering
children for Kindergarten for the
2015-16 school year. Required
registration documents include
birthdate documentation, proof
of address and record of
immunization. For more
information, visit
www.scdsb.on.ca/
kindergarten
If you have any questions
please call the school office
at (905) 775-9691.
YMCA Child Care Pick Up Reminder
To All Parents of Students who attend After School Daycare at the YMCA
Please note that for consistency and to control who is in our school building after hours, the front doors of the school will be
locked at 4:00 PM. When picking up your child after 4:00 PM, please use the YMCA doors on the west side of the school
building. Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to maintain the safety of your children.
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DISMISSAL
W.H. Day Elementary School
410 Maplegrove Ave
Bradford, ON L3Z 2V4
(905) 775-9691
(For Safe Arrival Press 1)
SCHOOL BUS WEATHER ZONE – SOUTH
WWW.SIMCOECOUNTYSCHOOLBUS.CA
February 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
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5
6
7
8
9
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19
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Operations
Appreciation
Day
15
16
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18
Family Day
Holiday
Reports
Go Home
Movie Night
6:00-8:30
22
23
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25
26
Grade 8
Grad Photos
27
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