Griffin News, Jan. 5, 2015

Griffin News
Jan. 5, 2015
FROM THE DESK OF THE HEAD
HEAD—
—Mr. Hookey
Post-Holiday Blues
Inside…
Activities
Competence
Confidence
Character
Community
Annual Fund
In Depth
… P.2
… P.3
… P.4
… P.5
… P.6
… P.7
… P.8
Who doesn’t love a holiday? And who doesn’t wish holidays would
never end? And why is it always BIG BAD SCHOOLS that end them?
I hear a lot of “warnings and threats” about school starting again in
August and during the week before school begins in January. For some
strange reason there is a tendency for the media (and more than a few
parents and relatives) to portray school attendance as a “downer” after
holiday periods.
Calendar of Events:
Being the half-full glass kind of person that I am, I view it differently.
Jan. 8—The Yoga Project visits PE Aside from the freedom of “play” that being at home provides, and don’t
clsses
get me wrong, I think there’s a real value in that free time, the home
generally does not provide the kind of social, academic, artistic and
Jan. 9—Parent Council Meeting—
athletic challenges that schools provide. The very nature of schools is
2:30—3:30 p.m.
that they offer a broad cross-section of personalities and interests in
people, and a wide range of learning opportunities that ensures that
Jan. 14—Q3 Club submission
deadline
each day is filled with uncertainty, with new ideas and experiences, and
with plenty of opportunities to adapt and grow.
Jan. 15, 2015—U10, U12 and U14
Basketball at Bayview Glen
Naturally, we would all prefer to be in a “groove” where there is no
uncertainty and life is easy, but we’ve probably all experienced what
Jan. 16—Semester 1 Ends
that kind of monotony does, turning a “groove” into a “rut” and boring the
Jan. 19—Q3 clubs begin
daylights out of us. Frankly, sometimes holidays can be too long. As a
parent who experienced a school on an alternate timetable of 3 months
Jan. 26—Semester 1 Reports Home
in classes, followed by one month of holidays, in a continuous cycle
throughout the year, I can say there is much to be said for considering a
change to the school timetabling set out in the late 1800’s.
Check us out at:
Website:
www.kempenfeltbayschool.ca
Facebook: Kempenfelt Bay School
Link to Mr. Hookey’s Columns on
Simcoe.com—http://
www.simcoe.com/blogs/1940902/
Kempenfelt Bay School
I’m sure there will be a few grumpy mornings as the routines of school
attendance return, but as students get back into those routines, there
will be a daily excitement, and a continuous personal growth cycle, that
will more than make up for the loss of holiday time.
If I keep saying that loud enough and often enough, perhaps I’ll get the
students to believe it, but not likely THIS week!
Happy New Year and best wishes to all for a happy and healthy 2015!
576 Bryne Dr., Barrie, ON L4N 9P6
705-739-4731
ACTIVITIES
Calendar of School Events
Monday, January 5
Grades 4 – 8 Pay It Forward Club, meet in the Grade 7 room: 12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
Grades 1 – 2 Subtraction Games, in the Grade 2 classroom: 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
U12/U14 Basketball practice, meet in the gym: 3:45 – 4:45 p.m.
Tuesday, January 6
Vedette Theatre Club: 12:00 – 1:00, meet in the Grade 6 classroom
Grades 1 – 2 Etiquette Club in the JK classroom: 12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
JK/SK Seasonal Crafts in the Grade 1 classroom: 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
Grade 1 – 2 Art Club in the Art Room: 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
Grades 5 – 8 Drama/Musical Theatre Club in the Music Room: 3:45 – 4:30 p.m. – Drama Crew
meets in the
Science Lab
U10 Basketball practice, meet in the gym: 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 7
Vedette Theatre Club, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., meet in the Grade 6 classroom
Grades 3 – 5 Environment Club, meet in the Grade 4 classroom: 12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
Grades 3 – 5 Movie Maniacs Club in the Grade 5 room: 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
U12/U14 Basketball practice, meet in the gym: 3:45 – 4:45 p.m.
Thursday, January 8
The Yoga Project: all grades during P.E. (bring your yoga mat)
Grades 4 – 8 Battle of the Books Club, meet in the Library: 12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
JK/SK Anything Can Happen Club, in the Gym: 12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
Grades 1-3 Spelling Bee Club, in the Library: 12:00 - 12:30 p.m.
Grades 4 – 8 Spelling Bee Club, in the Science Lab: 12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
Grades 4 – 5 Scoot Games, in the Grade 3 classroom: 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
JK/SK Building Club, meet on the Primary Bench: 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
Grades 2 – 3 Pay It Forward Club, meet in the SK classroom: 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
Grades 6 – 8 Jazz Band in the Music Room: 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, January 9
Assembly: 8:30 a.m., #1 Dress
Concert Band, Grades 5 – 8. in the Music Room: 12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
Parent Council meeting in the Library: 2:30 p.m.
Upcoming Basketball Games
Thursday, January 15th: U10, U12, U14 Basketball game @ Bayview Glen – 4:00 p.m.
Bus departs KBS 2:30 p.m., arrives back to KBS 6:30 p.m.
Kempenfelt Bay School
576 Bryne Dr., Barrie, ON L4N 9P6
705-739-4731
COMPETENCE
Clockwise from top left:
Gr. 4 student Alexander K. watches as
Olivia G. demonstrates the recipe she used
for procedural writing; Gr. 3 student Santino
R. and Gr. 1 student Gwen P. were using
their best logic skills to solve the puzzle
Railroad Rush Hour in aftercare; the
Intermediate choir perform at the Holiday
Music Festival; Gr. 4/5 choir; the Primary
Choir; the Concert Band. (The link to all
photos and the live performance is in the email sent out with the link to this newsletter.)
Kempenfelt Bay School
576 Bryne Dr., Barrie, ON L4N 9P6
705-739-4731
CONFIDENCE
Before “confidence” comes practice to
develop competence! Clockwise from
top left: Gr. 2 student Ellis L. led off
the Holiday Music Concert with a solo;
Mrs. Wells gives instructions to all
choirs at a morning rehearsal at the
school; Gr. 4 readers Cameron K.,
Sydney C. and Matthew K. rehearse
their parts at the afternoon rehearsal
on concert day.
Basketball Schedule:
Jan. 15— U10, U12 and U14 at Bayview Glen (4 p.m. games)
Feb. 2—U10, U12 and U14 at Crescent to play Montcrest and Crescent (2 and
3 p.m. games)
Feb. 10—U10, U12 and U14 at The York School (3 and 4 p.m. games)
Welcome back to a new year and in two weeks, a new Quarter with brand new clubs. In Quarter 3 we
will be attempting to reduce the amount of paper used and make the process of registration streamlined
through the use of Google Forms. The link below will take you to the Quarter 3 Extracurricular Clubs
Registration Form using your KBS Family Account log-in details. For each child you can electronically
select the grade-level clubs for which they want to be a part of for Quarter 3 (Monday January 19th to
Friday April 3rd). If you are unsure of the process or need a device to use, there will be a "Mobile
Registration Station" outside of the Gym for use between 8:00-8:30AM and 3:30-4:00PM each day until
the deadline of Wednesday January 14th. As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to
contact me or come by the Gym.
Mr. Jonathan Monkcom
http://goo.gl/forms/h9RMcEWZdB
Kempenfelt Bay School
576 Bryne Dr., Barrie, ON L4N 9P6
705-739-4731
CHARACTER
Clockwise from top left: Gr. 7 Pay It Forward Club
members Eve F., Hannah J., Kate H. and Frankie D.
presented a cheque and collection of items to Sandy
Porter of the Christmas Cheer organization; alumni
visitors to the pancake breakfast included Avery F.,
Avondale N., Akira C. (all Class of ‘13); Lily R., Karlene
C., Taylor P., Gabrielle G., Michael W., Angus A.,
Cameron L., Mackenzie D. and Max D. (all
Class of ‘14); the four Dasovic grads,
Mackenzie (‘14), Kyle (‘09), Braden (‘07)
and Lucas (‘12) with mom, Pat; Mme.
Taverner and McKenzie Willson (Class of
2000); Emily G. and Claudia M. (Class of
‘14) and Gr. 4 students Kennedy C. and
Lauryn L. accept the Golden Broom Award
from former Head Boys and Girls—Claudia
M. (‘14), Garrett F. (‘13), Akira C. (‘13),
Angus A. (‘14) and Brendan F. (‘09).
Kempenfelt Bay School
576 Bryne Dr., Barrie, ON L4N 9P6
705-739-4731
COMMUNITY
The Pancake Breakfast early in the morning on Dec. 19 was a very busy event followed
by a boisterous sing-along of holiday music in the gym led by Mrs. Wells and the
concert band. Thanks to everyone who attended, chefs Ms. Ahern, Mrs. Pitman, Ms.
Neal, Mr. Monkcom and Akira C., everyone who helped serve and clean up. A special
tip of the hat to Gr. 5 student Danielle B. (top left) who showed up at 7:00 a.m. to
volunteer her services, and to all of the alumni (see photos on previous page) who
came out and joined us.
Kempenfelt Bay School
576 Bryne Dr., Barrie, ON L4N 9P6
705-739-4731
ANNUAL FUND
Annual Fund Thanks
Our goal this year, is to achieve a participation rate in the Annual Fund Drive of 90%. We are
currently at 50% so we’re half way there! Thank you to those listed below, who have already
contributed to support the fund. We will continue to promote the importance of meeting the 90%
goal as we head into a new tax year. If you meant to contribute for the 2014 tax year, and just
did not get a chance to do so in the chaos of holiday activities, you can still submit a donation
through cash or cheque that can be processed for the 2014 year. Information regarding the
Annual Fund can be found in the Griffin News folder in each Google family account.
Jaime-Lynn Ahern
Stephanie Beattie
Diana Brinkos
Vincenzo and Liann Camastro
John Choe and Jee Hong
Rita D’Antonio
Robert Durante and Gayle Brock
Peter and Maureen Evans
Brian and Diane FitzGerald
Dr. Andrew and Carrie Gater
Howard and Patti Gwin
Jeff and Julie Janiuk
Dr. George Karasmanis and Dr. Rania Hiram
Carrie Lane
Adam and Tiffany Little
Jonathan and Jess Monkcom
Venessa Neal
Jason and Jennifer O’Neill
Deanna Reid
Lydia Szostak/The Reid Family
Tim and Tracy Salter
Dr. Drew Schemmer and Sandy Rogers
Christine Taylor
Dave and Elaine Wallace
Dean VanAdestine and Jan Westhaver
Paradise Homes
Angela Baldwin and Mark Jepp
Grant Bennett and Dr. Wendy Hatch
John and Helen Burch
Leo and Dana Charlebois
Kamran Dashti and Dr. Mehrak Kilani
Pat and Rob Dasovic
Dr. Brad Dibble and Katherine Elphick
Doug and Janet Exel
Stuart and Kelly Fletcher
Dr. Raj and Neeta Grover
Graham and Donna Hookey
Brennan and Christine Kahler
Dr. Kian Khatami and Mrs. Pooneh Khataei
Guy Letts and Angela Aujla
Shane McChesney and Amanda Knight
Jason and Sheri Montgomery
Dr. Pierre Ozon and Michelle Newton
Shamus and Dr. Sara Rask
Rival Office Solutions
Maurizio and Marisa Rupa
Samantha Redpath-Schaerf
Anderson and Sarah Spencer
Soren Vaerum and Nicole McArthur
Paul and Slawomira Weber
Dr. Vincent and Angela Wu
Out With the Old and In With the New!
If you are cleaning out electronics, or building
blocks or Lego, to make room for new toys,
consider donating them to the school for student
use, both in classes or for the aftercare program.
One child’s trash is another child’s treasure when it
comes to these items!
Kempenfelt Bay School
576 Bryne Dr., Barrie, ON L4N 9P6
705-739-4731
IN DEPTH
Managing Those New Electronic Devices That Are Quickly Taking Over
Although I’m going to present a little introduction, the link to an article in Forbes Magazine (at the
bottom of the page) is really the “editorial” element of this article and I encourage any of you
intrigued with this topic to cut and paste the link into the URL box of your favourite search engine
and read it over. The article title is “3 Tips for Disconnecting Kids from Over-Stimulation,
Video Games and Digital Media” by Jordan Shapiro.
I offer an introduction only as a point of reference. Having spent my childhood and teen years in
the non-electronic device world of the 1950’s and 1960’s, I have viewed technological
developments with a wary eye. We are always hesitant around things we don’t necessarily
understand, but also curious. My generation found playing outdoors “natural” and it took little or
no involvement of adults for us to come up with a wide range of games and activities to occupy
ourselves. You might say we were “nature” natives.
Today’s generation finds playing inside, on electrical devices, “natural” and it takes little
involvement of adults for them to come up with a range of activities to occupy themselves. They
are “digital” natives.
Like most things in life, it’s not the activity that creates problems as much as it is the imbalance
in activities that can lead to compulsive tendencies. Although I am, personally, a “digital
immigrant,” I have certainly experienced the feeling of suddenly looking up at a clock and
realizing I have wasted a LOT of time on an electronic device. Still, as an immigrant, I find it
easy to walk away from it at any time because it remains more a novelty than a necessity for
me. I have a cell phone, know how to use it, but rarely do.
I am asked, relatively frequently, for suggestions about how to help young people manage their
preoccupation with electronic devices but honestly, I’m not the best person to ask because I
never had to learn to manage them myself. The article below is written by a digitally native
father who offers some excellent insight and tips into how to bring balance to those youngsters
who may be losing perspective on the place of electronics in their life.
I like the article because it draws some common sense into the parenting framework we all must
reflect upon. Ultimately, our children learn more from what we do than from what we say so it’s
very difficult for us to tell them to get off their video games or cell phones if they see us
constantly “plugged in” to our own devices. In essence, helping our children manage their
devices is really about helping the entire household manage the role of devices in family life.
It may not be an issue in every house but it’s worth recognizing some of the issues, and
potential strategies to diffuse them, before it becomes a problem.
I’m open to dialogue but you’ll have to talk to me or e-mail me. My cell phone is OFF at work!
Graham
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2014/01/15/3-tips-for-disconnecting-kids-fromover-stimulation-video-games-and-digital-media/
Kempenfelt Bay School
576 Bryne Dr., Barrie, ON L4N 9P6
705-739-4731

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