OCTOBER 2014 École E. J. James 338 Cairncroft Road Oakville, Ontario L6J 4M6 We Value Students Telephone: (905) 845-2015 Their thoughts, their feelings– their troubles and triumphs. Absence Check: 1-877-409-6310 We promise to do all that we can– to prepare them for the future. Website: http://ejj.hdsb.ca We l c o me B a c k ! ! ! Month’s Reminder Oct. 6 First Pizza Monday Oct. 8 Gr. 7&8 Immunizations Oct. 10 P.A. Day Oct. 13 Thanksgiving Day Oct. 16 Photo Day What a terrific start racks added (by the notably, the lay-by for we are having to the Gr. 1 doors) and the our Kiss ‘n Ride. It school year! Over the old ones removed has been wonderful to summer, our school un- (freeing up some see our students set- derwent several facil- playground space for tle-in and benefit ity improvements: our students!), new car- from our improved electrical system up- pet laid in the li- facilities. Please be dated, the gym and brary, a practice sure to check them Mrs. McGinnis’ class- room added to the out! room painted, new bike music room and, most Me rc i ! ! ! Getting the school ready dens and the planters of late students; and (2) We have noticed a quick for the school year is a ma- around the school! the loss of instructional and efficient morning time due to transitions. drop-off and, most im- To that end, this year we portantly, students are in jor task and we want to recognize the efforts of staff members for their work over the summer. Our custodial staff, Fern Curcio (our head caretaker), Elizabeth Beduh and Lucyna Wnek, worked endless hours to clean the school and have it ready for staff and students to work in a safe, healthy environment. Thank you all! We would also like to thank Carolyn Dell and her garden fairies for all of their work beautifying the front gar- Thank you to School Council for organizing our early morning coffee break on the first day of school. It was a wonderful opportunity for parents to reconnect, welcome new members to the EJ community and celebrate the return to school. Finally, a big thanks to all of you! We have made great gains in the two areas we set out to improve this year at E.J. James: (1) the frequency and number have built in an entry time from 8:40 - 8:45 am, we have added more volunteers in our Kiss 'n Ride to increase efficiency and reduce wait times in the cue, we play hurry-up music to alert students to the countdown to the instruction bell, and we consistently encourage students to arrive to class on time. The impact has been dramatic! their classrooms and ready to maximize their learning time during the first instructional block! We appreciate the many challenges of getting children out the door in the morning and to school on time; rest assured your efforts have had a significant positive impact on instructional time and student learning! ÉCOLE E. J. JAMES E. J. Library Routines Say Cheese! Photo Day at École EJ The library is back in full swing and it has truly been a pleasure to see so many familiar and new faces coming through the doors! Each student in Grade 1 & 2 will have the opportunity to come to the library each week to do a book exchange. The students will choose an I Pick book to keep at school and two to take home with them as well. Students in Grades 3-8 visit James is Music Notes scheduled Concert Band and Stage Band will be starting soon! Sign-ups and auditions have just wrapped up, and our first practice was held Tuesday, September 30. Please note that band practices are on a different day this year. Practices are now for Oct. 16th beginning at 9:00 a.m. If your child is away, photo retake day is Nov. 12th. the library bi-weekly and are able to take between 34 books depending on their home reading programs and teacher expectations. All books are on loan for two weeks but students are able to renew books if they wish. If a student would like to make a library visit outside of their scheduled time I am always happy to see eager readers at the library! week; each class is equipped with a “red bin” that students can use to return their books. Alternately, they can put them in the return slot inside my desk. I am looking forward to a year of reading and discovery with your child. Should you have any questions about the library, feel free to contact Mrs. De Roo at the school. Students can bring books back on any day of the TUESDAY mornings at 7:30 for Concert Band and Tuesday and Wednesday at first Nutrition Break for Stage Band. As usual, there is a permission form that you need to sign to confirm your child's partici- pation in the band(s). Details about the Holiday Concert will be available soon - stay tuned! School Council Please consider joining our Council meetings, regardless if you have a position on Council or not. All parents are welcome to join any of the monthly meetings. The first School Council meeting of the 2014-2015 year was held on September 29th in the Library. EJ James School Council meetings, PAGE 2 agendas and minutes will be posted on the School Council website which can be accessed through the EJ James website. The next Council meeting is Monday, October 20th. OCTOBER 2014 Many Great Happenings! There are many great things cert Band, as well as Junior going on at EJJ! Some of our Choir. And there is so much athletic teams have begun, more to come! Please check such cross country, flag our website regularly to learn football and volleyball. We about clubs, teams and activi- have also formed student ties; you will find information interest groups such as Stu- on our daily announcements, dent Leadership, Free the upcoming important events, Children, Lego Robotics, and links to teacher websites and Library, Art and Drama more! Clubs…and so many more!! Finally, our music program has started Stage and Con- Terry Fox Run Thank you to everyone for making the Terry Fox Run a huge success! As a school E.J. raised a total of $2930.50!!! A big huge thank you to Shannon Hauser for organzing all of the wonderful volunteers who lined the route and handed out freezies. We couldn't do it without you! Students have earned themselves a weekend free of homework for the Thanksgiving weekend. Way to go E.J.! We have worked together for a great cause! Sc hool Improvement Plan for Student Ac hievement (SIPSA) Each year, EJ staff collabo- dents in Grades 1 to 4 will rate on school-wide goals in have a personal account to the areas of literacy, nu- use at school, as part of the meracy, and safety and wellbeing. Last year, Math teachers participated in learning around creating open-ended questions that promote problem-solving and critical thinking. We are continuing that important focus in Math, as well as improved mathematical communication skills and use of rich resources. Most recently, teachers of Grade 1 to 4 Math participated in a learning session for Dreambox, a dynamic regular Math program, and at home, as part of a regular homework routine. This online subscription will, in More information will be shared in coming months on our goals for School Improvement for Student Achievement. Stay tuned! part, replace the Math Makes Sense Homework books that have been used in the past. The board is hosting an information evening for parents to Pizza Program learn more about this engag- We would like to ing student resource. Octo- thank Kim Swinoga ber 28 at 7pm at White Oaks Secondary School. and intuitive online resource Please click on the link for that promotes strong founda- more information: tions in number sense. All stu- 2014.pdf DreamBox Flyer for Parents Fall for overseeing the pizza program and for organizing all of the pizza volunteers. The first pizza Monday will be October 6th. PAGE C o m mu n i t y C o r n e r October 4 - Halton Youth Leadership in Action Conference: open to youth ages 12 -18. Please see Mrs. Mainville for more information or click link for flyer: Youth Leadership in Action Conference.pdf October 7 - HDSB hosts a family and community information evening with Dr. Stuart Ablon on Dealing with Challenging Behaviour in Children and Teens: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach; Burlington Performing Arts Centre at 7-9pm. Please click on the link for more information: Family and Community Night 2014.pdf October 18 - The board is offering a free parent conference. Childcare is available at no cost. Please click on the link for more information: PIC Conference Flyer 2014.pdf October 28 - The board is hosting an information session on Dreambox, an online resource to support students in Grades 1 through 4 in mathematics. This resource will be used by all classes in Grades 1 -4 at EJJ and will comprise of in-class and at-home components. 7pm at White Oaks Secondary School. Please click on the link for more information: DreamBox Flyer for Parents Fall 2014.pdf Are you ready to vote in the Municipal Election? Get out and vote for your School Board Trustee, Mayor and Councillors. Advance voting in Oakville runs from October 6-17, 2014 and voting day is October 27. If you do not receive your voter card in the mail by the end of September, please call the Oakville Election Office at 905-815-6015, email [email protected] or visit the Clerk’s department at Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road in Oakville. For more information visit elections.oakville.ca 4th Trafalgar Scouts Group for South East Oakville & Clearview area invites boys and girls to join Beavers (age 5-7) Cubs (8-10) and Scouts (11-13). In Scouting, kids have fun developing into capable, confident and well rounded individuals better prepared for success in the world. Programs start October 2014. Register online today at www.scouts.ca or phone 1-888-855-3336. Mental health and well-being is everyone's responsibility . The Halton District School Board has pro- duced a mental health video for parents and guardians as part of its strategy to improve awareness and promote positive mental health and well-being. The two-minute video is linked from the main page of the Board’s website at www.hdsb.ca (Mental Health and Well-being) as well as posted on YouTube and on HDSB TV for staff. PAGE 4
© Copyright 2024 ExpyDoc
