1. education
2. school

April 2015
THE DAY OF
PINK 2015!!!!
575 Cameron Street, Collingwood, Ontario L9J 2Y4 Telephone: (705)445-2902 Fax: (705)445-9811
CAMERON STREET PUBLIC SCHOOL
Principal: Sheri McHardy
Vice Principal: Lisa Saunders
Senior Administrative Support: Jan Plyley
Website: cam.scdsb.on.ca
Spring has finally sprung, and
with that the promise of
wonderful things and moments of
new discoveries. Here at
Cameron Street, we are lucky to
see this each and every day in our
classrooms as more and more
students and staff share their
mastery of Google documents or
new strategies for solving that
math problem that used to be so
hard. Fantastic things are
happening here, and the learning
continues to grow and grow!
This month, we take time to truly
let our students’ talents shine as
we celebrate with spirit days,
watch students become business
owners, honour our athletes with
their team photos, hold talent
show auditions, promote
inclusiveness with Raise the Flag
for Autism Day, and celebrate
with other local schools in the
Day of Pink that our Anti-Bully
Team has created and will lead.
It promises to be an inspired
month for us all!
-Ms. McHardy and Mrs. Saunders
The day is almost
here Cameron
Street! Our AntiBully Team has
been excitedly finalizing all the
details for the event occurring on
April 8th. Beginning at 9:30am with
Opening Ceremonies, we are thrilled
to have intermediate students from
Mountain View, Nottawa Elementary,
Admiral Collingwood and Connaught
join us as we say no to bullying and
promote student voice and selfconfidence! Taking part in a
scavenger hunt and ending the event
with a very special musical number
on the main street, this day promises
to be something Collingwood has not
seen before!
For more details, including
information on the Art Projects all
schools have created for the gardens
on the main street, the storefronts
turning pink to show their support,
and a schedule of the day’s events,
please visit our website at
cam.scdsb.on.ca and click on
‘Students’ then on ‘Day of Pink’.
Also, follow our lead up to, and the
day of, by following our Twitter page
@CameronStPS and the hashtag
#cwoodpink.
April 1
Grade 7/8
Business Fair
today!
Wacky Day!
April 2
Raise the Flag
for Autism
APRIL 3
GOOD FRIDAY
(no school)
APRIL 6
EASTER
MONDAY
(no school)
April 8
DAY OF PINK
April 9
Grad Photos—
Grade 8 and SK
April 17
Sports Jersey
Day
April 21-24
Dairy
Presentations
April 22
Lights Out
Canada
April 24
Team Photo
Day
April 30
Family Movie
Night
BUSINESS FAIR IS COMING TO CAMERON STREET!!!
On Wednesday April 1st, our Grade 7 & 8 students are
holding their annual Business Fair. For only $0.25 a ticket,
you can choose from wonderful food items like cupcakes
and burgers, to games of chance and fun, to handmade products such as
dolls and face painting fun! Please join us from 9:15am to 2:30pm that day
and see what our students have for you!!!
FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT
Our Builders Club are pleased to present Family
Movie Night on Thursday April 30th. Showing the
movie Big Hero 6, the event begins at 6:30pm and
students are encouraged to wear their pjs! Students
are to have a parent accompany them, and a free will donation
will be accepted with proceeds going towards the Club’s project
for Cameron Street’s 50th Anniversary in 2017! Hope to see you
all there!
DANCE A THON THANK YOU!!!
A huge thank you to all the students, families and
staff for their very generous support and spirit for
our Dance A Thon last month! We were able to
raise almost $6000. and reached our goal of one
iPad per classroom!!! We could not have done this without all of
you, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Also, thank you to our DJ—Shawn Chartrand—for providing his
music services to make our day of dance we won’t forget!!!
GRADUATION PHOTO DAY
On Thursday April 9th, our Grade 8 and Senior
Kindergarten students will be having their
Graduation photos taken by Edge Imaging.
Order forms have gone home with students, and
families are reminded to return them by the due date noted. Any
questions regarding Photo Day, please contact the school office.
EDUCATION WEEK—CELEBRATING
PUBLIC EDUCATION
Education Week, May 4 to 8th, is a
province-wide celebration of student
achievement and excellence in education. It is an opportunity to
recognize the work and accomplishments of Ontario’s
publicly-funded schools. Many schools host special events during
Education Week. Watch for notices and our school website to see
how Cameron Street plans to celebrate!!!
RAISE THE FLAG FOR AUTISM
On Thursday April 2nd, Cameron Street
students and staff will raise the flag for
Autism. A day to increase awareness, we
look forward to celebrating World Autism Awareness Day together!
Parents are welcome to join us at 12:30pm for this special event!
CHILDRENS MENTAL HEALTH WEEK
Children’s Mental Health Week is May 3rd to 9th. One
in five Ontario children and youth struggle with mental
health concerns—that’s about 500,000 kids. Children’s
Mental Health Week is about promoting positive mental
health, increasing the awareness of signs related to
children and youth struggling with mental health problems,
decreasing stigma and understanding how to access community
supports that are available to improve well-being. For more
information, visit http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/.
DATES TO NOTE…
As we approach the last few months of our school year, there are some special dates to note now for your calendars…
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Talent Show Wednesday May 6th
Grade 7 & 8 Ottawa Trip—May 11 to 15th
Track and Field (Grade 4-8 students) Wednesday May 20th
EQAO occurring May 24th to June 4th for our Grade 3 & 6 students
PD Day Friday June 5th (no school for students)
Carnival Thursday June 11th
Graduation!!! — Kindergarten Monday June 22th and Grade 8 Tuesday June 23rd
Last day of school is Thursday June 25th
GET READY AS WE GENERATE SOME EXCITEMENT!
The Simcoe County District School Board has partnered with AMP Solar Group and Potentia Solar to install solar panels on the
rooftops of 41 schools across the County, generating over 4mW. Forty-one schools—including Cameron Street P.S.—were
successful applications approved by the Ontario Power Authority as part of the Feed in Tariff (FIT) program, producing renewable energy to fee
the provincial energy grid.
As part of this partnership, students will be able to monitor the energy produced at their school and compare it to other schools in the County as
well as other schools in Ontario. Students will have access to real data that can be used in the classroom. Also, students will have opportunities
to engage in solar and renewable energy workshops and presentations at our school.
The preparation for construction commenced last month, and will be fully operational by the end of July 2015. Revenue generated through this
program will be used to enhance environmental learning opportunities for staff and students, and expand on energy conservation efforts in our
building.
For more information, please contact the SCDSB Environmental Systems Coordinator, Jessica Kukac, at 705-734-6363, ext. 11514.
CIRCLE OF LEARNING PARENT ACADEMY—FREE WORKSHOPS TO BOOST YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS
As a parent/guardian, you were your child’s first teacher and you are still his or her most important teacher. Your
involvement in your child’s education has an impact on success. Register to attend workshops throughout the year
designed to help you support your child’s learning and development.
Upcoming workshops include:
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April: Math 101—all parents can support their children in math
May: Resilience—nine things kids need from their families, schools, and communities
Find workshop dates, times, descriptions and register online at www.scdsb.on.ca/circleoflearning.
The Circle of Learning Parent Academy is hosted by the Simcoe County District School Board’s Parent Involvement Committee and made
possible with the support of the Ministry of Education through a Parents Reaching Out Grant.
HOMEWORK HELP FOR STUDENTS IN
GRADES 7 TO 10
Homework Help is a free online math help
resource for students in Grades 7 to 10.
Homework Help provides free, live one-on-one
tutoring from Ontario teachers Sunday to Thursday from 5:30 to
9:30pm. The program is funded by the Ontario government and
administered by TVO’s Independent Learning Centre.
To log in, students will need to register with their Ontario
Educational Number (OEN), found at the top of their report card
near their name.
For more information, visit https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org/.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ONTARIO
COLLEGE OF TEACHERS
The Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) is the
regulatory body for Ontario’s teaching
profession. The organization’s goal is to ensure everyone teaching in
Ontario’s publicly-funded elementary and secondary schools is
qualified and worthy of the trust placed in them by their colleagues,
students and parents.
The College licenses, governs and regulates Ontario’s teaching
profession in the public interest. There are many tools and resources
available at www.oct.ca, such as:

Find a Teacher—learn about your children’s teachers’
qualifications
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Professionally Speaking—quarterly magazine that keeps
members informed on issues that impact teachers and students
in and out of the classroom
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The disciplinary process—the OCT investigates and resolves
complaints about College members; hearings are open to the
public and full decisions are available online
Parents are also welcome to subscribe to The Standard, an
enewsletter for parents: http://www.oct.ca/public/publicenewsletter.
SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY, CYBERBULLYING
& DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP EVENT FOR
PARENTS AND STUDENTS
On Thursday April 30th, all Simcoe County
District School Board parents and students
are invited to attend an evening event with
Chris Vollum. Chris, a well-known speaker on the topic of social
media, and who presented to our students and parents here at
Cameron Street in September, will speak about the potential of
online communication among youth and how to use it for positive
and meaningful connections. His talk will help parents develop the
skills to communicate with their children and minimize the risk of
bullying, cyber-bullying and loss of reputation. He will highlight
opportunities and platforms with which students may build a
positive social presence and reputation.
The event will take place from 7 to 8:30pm at Nantyr Shores
Secondary School, 1146 Anna Maria Ave. in Innisfil. If parents and
students are not able to attend in person, the presentation will also
be livestreamed via the following link:
https://plus.google.com/events/cs0u4bms6ofivnft85phtt7o88c.
This event is brought to you by a Ministry of Education’s Parents
Reaching Out Grant to support parent engagement.
PRIMARY SWIMMING
Please note that our Grade 3 students will be
participating in the Swim to Survive program this
month on the following Tuesdays: April 14th, April
21st and April 28th. Permission forms can be found in the school
office and/or the school website (www.cam.scdsb.on.ca) under the
‘Forms’ section.
Pizza/Sub Orders for May and June
Order forms for our last orders of this school year will
be coming home mid-April with students. Please
watch for the order forms, and remember notices and
the forms will also be posted on our school website under the
‘Forms’ section.
LIBRARY NEWS
CAMERON SPIRIT NEWS
Who has spirit??? Cameron Street does,
and this month, we are giving our students
a lot of opportunities to show it!!!
On Wednesday April 1st, we show our
crazy and fun style as we celebrate Wacky Day! Hair...clothes...we
cannot wait to see how our Comets shine!
On Wednesday April 8th, we support our Day of Pink Intermediate
event by turning Cameron Street pink! Wear your best pink
clothing, and let’s show that we say no to bullying!
Do you have talent? Of course you do, and it is time once again to
try out for our Spring Cameron’s Got Talent Show happening on
May 6th. Try outs begin on Thursday April 16th, and continue on
Friday April 17th and Monday April 20th. Our last show was a
huge success, and we encourage one and all to try out and share
your gifts!
Finally, on Friday April 17th, it is Sports Jersey Day! Time to find
that special jersey or team shirt you love and wear it with pride!
Remember, spirit points are always up for grabs on spirit days and
are a great way to support your House Colour Team!
A REMINDER ABOUT GETTING OUT THE DOOR
ON TIME IN THE MORNING
We continue to experience challenges with respect
to late entries here at Cameron Street.
It is imperative that students arrive on time, before
the entry bell. Late entries to the classroom interrupt learning that
is already in progress and is disruptive to the teacher as well as all
the students that arrived on time. A school day consists of only
300 minutes of instructional time, and any time that is lost, can
impede learning of routines, expectations and most importantly,
work assignments.
On April 14th, Mr. Potter’s Grade 4/5 class will be
meeting Canadian author Terry Lynn Johnson
virtually via Skype to discuss the writing of her new
book ‘Ice Dogs.’
The CamiCon boys comic club is meeting weekly and look
forward to sharing their comic book creations later in the
Spring.
Finally, remember to visit the library to see the many new
titles that can be found on the shelves! Also the Book Fair
returns in June to Cameron Street so watch the website and
newsletter for the dates and times!
RECOGNIZE A STAR AT OUR SCHOOL!
Our employee recognition program, SCDSB
STARS, provides the opportunity for members
of the school community to nominate an
outstanding teacher, custodian, educational
assistant, early childhood educator, administrator, office staff,
etc. who has done something wonderful to support students
in our system. We have recognized over 100 SCDSB STARS so
far, and our very own Madame Martin was recognized last
month at our Spirit Assembly! Felicitations Madame!!!
Nominees will be informed of the nomination and the staff
person will receive a personalized thank you card and
commemorative lapel pin from our Director of Education. It’s
just one way to recognize shining stars in our education system who make a difference every day in our schools, facilities
and classrooms.
Nominate an outstanding staff person by visiting
www.scdsb.on.ca and clicking on ‘Staff’ then ‘SCDSB Stars.’
It is our expectation that all students arrive, ready to learn, at or
before our 8:55am entry bell.
As always, if your child is going to be late or absent, please call Safe
Arrival (705-445-2902) which is available 24/7 to let us know.
DENTAL HEALTH
This month, we focus on ‘Healthy Mouth, Healthy You’ with our
Grade 3 and Kindergarten students. Christine Tjeerdsma, our
Public Health Nurse with the Health Schools Program (SMDHU),
will be leading workshops for our these classes on April 23rd and
29th, sharing key messages related to oral health. We look forward to hearing
what she, and Alex the Alligator, have to say!
Attached to this month’s newsletter is a Monthly Brushing Chart that we are
asking students to complete and return by the end of the month. Let’s see how
many of our Cameron Comets are doing the 2 for 2—brushing 2 times each day
for 2 minutes each time!
THE DAY OF PINK IS ONE WEEK AWAY!!!
Our Anti-bully Dream Team have been very busy the last few weeks finalizing the activities and art projects for the Day of
Pink that will be occurring on Wednesday April 8th in our beautiful downtown area! We are thrilled that the
intermediate students from Admiral Collingwood, Connaught, Nottawa Elementary and Mountain View will be joining us
in a special day of activities as we come together to say no to bullying, find our voice and promote self-confidence and
acceptance. It promises to be an event that will create memories to last a lifetime!
As we lead up to the big day, our Anti-Bully Team head to the Rotary Club of Collingwood on Tuesday March 31st to share their event plans with
local community partners, Ms. Fedorco and two of the team members head to 97.7 on Thursday April 2nd to be on the radio at 8:50am, and the
art projects that the local schools have been given and that were designed by Mr. Vancise’s Grade 11 art class from CCI are installed in the
downtown gardens beginning April 2nd. Local businesses will also be turning pink to show their support the week of April 5-10th, and we
encourage all to view them as some include facts from the Student Voice Project on bullying.
Finally, you can get involved too by wearing pink that day, checking our school website (cam.scdsb.on.ca) for the latest updates and news,
following us on Twitter @CameronStreetPS and/or following the hashtag #cwoodpink that day to see some of the events and students involved!
CAMERON COMETS—don’t forget to wear pink on April 8th also to turn Cameron Street 100% pink!!! Let’s show we care and we STOP,
WALK AND TALK!!!
CHILD CARE OPTIONS IN ONTARIO
The Ontario government recently launched an
advertising campaign to raise public awareness about
child care options in this province. The campaign’s
objective is to support and empower parents, so they
can choose child care that suits their family’s needs. It
provides information about different types of care, and indicators
of quality in child care settings.
For more information and resources about child care options in our
province, visit www.ontario.ca/childcare. For more information
about child care in our schools, including before– and after-school
care options, visit SCDSB’s public website at www.scdsb.on.ca and
then click on ‘Schools’-’Before and After School Care.’
PACK A RAINBOW IN YOUR KID’S LUNCH!
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit would
like to remind parents about the importance of
a school lunch full of colourful veggies and fruit. Try some of these
tasty kid-friendly ideas to ensure they will eat what you pack:
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Add grated carrot to egg or tuna salad
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Use a shake of cinnamon on cut fruit if it tends to turn
brown—they will enjoy the new flavor to their favourite apple
or banana pieces
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Pack veggies or fruit in small bite size pieces for easy eating
Prepare veggies and fruit with different tools that change the
shape and add interest to your child’s lunch. Use melon
ballers, vegetable crinkle cutters or even an egg slicer to make
some great shapes
If your kid is a dipper, add a small container of yogurt or their
favourite pudding for fruit dipping or cottage cheese or even
hummus for veggie dipping
For more information, you can call Health Connection at
705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-5720 and speak with a public health
nurse or visit the health unit website at
www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.
CAMERON CLUBS
Our After School Numeracy Club began
last month for Grades 4-6 students, and
is off to a wonderful start with Mr. Haydu and Ms. Nicholls. A
reminder that this program for registered students runs every
Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30-4:30pm.
Also we are pleased to be running the CamiCom Boys Comic Club
every Tuesday and Thursday at 1st recess and the last 100
minutes of every Friday. A group that meets to create comics,
they will be sharing these later in the Spring!
Finally, don’t forget Art Club for Grades 4-8 students Tuesdays
from 3:30-4:30pm and our newest club—the Clean Up Team—
that has just begun at recesses to help keep Cameron Street’s
outdoor yards clean for all! What a great time to get involved
Comets!
OUR CHARACTER TRAIT FOR APRIL IS…
APRIL 2014
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1
5
EASTER
6
EASTER MONDAY After School
After School
Numeracy Club
WaCkY dAY!!!
Raise the Flag for
Autism
Pita Day
12
13
Sub Day
School Council
Meeting 7pm
19
14
After School
Numeracy Club
20
Talent Show Tryouts
26
21
Dental Checkup
Week
22
EARTH DAY
(Lights Out Canada)
Art Club
Grade 3 Swimming
17
18
Talent Show Tryouts
Grade 8 Swimming
Sports Jersey Day!
23
Pizza Day
Grade 3 Dental Visit
24
Grade 8 Swimming
Team Photo Day
After School
Numeracy Club
Pita Day
28
After School
Numeracy Club
11
After School
Numeracy Club
Dairy Presentation
Week
After School
Numeracy Club
Art Club
Grade 3 Swimming
27
Sub Day
10
Grade 8 Swimming
16
Pizza Day
Talent Show Tryouts
Art Club
Grade 3 Swimming
Sub Day
9
15
Pita Day
4
(no school)
Pizza Day
Grad Photos-Grade 8
and SK
After School
Numeracy Club
Art Club
3
GOOD FRIDAY
8
Numeracy Club
(no school)
2
Grade 7/8 Business
Fair!
7
Saturday
29
30
Pita Day
Family Movie Night!
Kindergarten Dental
Visit
Pizza Day
25