The Villager
Stories from the Countryside: Issue Six
UPCOMING in the Village
COuntryside and the Peel Board Celebrate Diversity
Tomorrow, the Peel District School Board will recognize Day of Pink, the international day to stop homophobic and transphobic bullying and discrimination.
Schools and board sites across Peel will recognize the day with a variety of activities, and by wearing pink.
"At the Peel board, we want our students and staff to learn, work and develop in environments that are equitable, inclusive, respectful and nurturing," says Tony Pontes, director of education. "Inclusion and diversity is something that all Peel schools teach and discuss with students—it is embedded in all we do. Every day we teach students our core values: to be caring, cooperative, honest, inclusive, respectful and responsible. Day of Pink is just one more way for us to reflect and strengthen our goal to achieve equity for all students and staff."
Students and staff at Countryside will celebrate the day with,
- an assembly
- the presentation of class t-shirts explaining what the Day of Pink means to them
- a special presentation from the grade five class
- a feature video about the Day of Pink
PDSB Literacy And Values Through Music Showcase
We look forward to hearing them perform their original musical composition on
April 16th at 7 pm at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre.
Countryside Celebrates Education Week
Peel public schools will host hundreds of special activities and events to celebrate Education Week 2015 from April 13 to 24. The theme for this year's two week-long focus on education is Inspire. Greatness. Together.
Countryside Village Public School parents are invited to visit the school and classrooms from Wednesday April 15th to Friday April 17th anytime during the day (9:15 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.). This is an excellent opportunity for parents to see the inspirational and innovative work that children in our inquiry-based learning environments have been engaged in all year.
In addition, we will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair from April 13th to April 16th. There will be a wide variety of books for everyone; from our youngest to our oldest students, at very reasonable prices. We hope that parents will visit the Book Fair when they come to visit the school.
Each year, more than 50,000 parents and community members across Peel attend activities and events during Education Week. We are looking forward to an equally successful week this year.
Help us to encourage and enhance parent involvement in Peel
Apply for a position on the board's Parent Involvement Committee
The Peel board’s Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) meets regularly throughout the school year to review the board’s plans for parent involvement as they relate to parent, family and community engagement, and to make suggestions to schools, councils and the board regarding additional parent outreach.
As mandated by the ministry, the purpose of Peel board's PIC is to:
- support, encourage, and enhance meaningful parental involvement within schools and across the district, including, outreach to parents who find involvement more challenging
- work collaboratively with the school board to support student success
- seek out the advice and ideas of school councils, and other parents and partners as they plan and implement strategies to involve more parents at the regional level
- develop strategies for enhancing parental engagement and outreach
Parent application packages will be made available on April 8 at www.peelschools.org/PIC. Forms must be returned by April 24, 2015.
Peel board celebrates public education during Education Week – April 13 to 24
Peel public schools will host hundreds of special activities and events to celebrate Education Week 2015. To give schools plenty of time to hold activities, this celebration of education will be held for two weeks from April 13 to 24. The theme for this year's focus on education is Inspire. Greatness. Together.
In addition to inviting parents and community residents to visit their classrooms during the week, Peel schools are hosting open houses, plays/musicals, storytelling, environmental activities, awards assemblies, talent shows and much more.
One of the highlights of Education Week is the presentation of Awards of Excellence. The award recipients are students, volunteers, staff and community partners who have made outstanding contributions to public education in Peel.
The awards will be presented to 31 deserving recipients at the Showcase of Excellence ceremony on April 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the board room, HJA Brown Education Centre, 5650 Hurontario St., Mississauga.
More than 800 individuals will also be honoured during Education Week with Awards of Distinction for their contributions to their school or workplace.
Earth Week – April 20 to 24, 2015
Earth Week encompasses the international celebration of Earth Day on April 22. This is the most celebrated environmental event worldwide. Initiated in 1970, this event has been considered the birth of the environmental movement.
Each year, more than 6 million Canadians join 500 million people in over 180 countries in staging events and projects to address local environmental issues. In Canada, Earth Day has grown into Earth Week and even Earth Month to accommodate the profusion of events and projects. Here are some ways that you can celebrate earth week with your family:
- create a backyard or schoolyard habitat
- plant a garden or tree
- start a recycling program at home
- organize a carpooling campaign in your neighbourhood to reduce air pollution
- pick up trash in your neighbourhood
- read a book about an endangered species
- make a visit to your local zoo, aquarium or museum
- visit a local park, wildlife area or farm to provide a fun opportunity to learn about the environment and life
Parent resources help you support your child’s learning
At the Peel District School Board, our mission is to inspire success, confidence and hope in each child. There is no doubt that families play a vital role in helping us achieve this goal. As our partner in education, we hope you'll stay connected to your child's learning throughout his or her entire school experience.
In October 2014, the Peel board sought input from families to help guide the development of resources that help parents and caregivers support their children’s learning. The result is a new Help Your Child online resource centre on the Peel board’s website with the topics families said were important to them.
Visit www.peelschools.org/parents/helpyourchild to explore all resources available to parents.
Keeping children safe in and around storm sewers, waterways
Rising and fast moving water in lakes, ponds and creeks is increasingly likely during spring. Children playing in and around storm sewers and watercourses, entering storm sewers through the outfalls, and entering storm sewers through access covers is dangerous. The following information will help keep children safe:
- water flows in storm sewers and watercourses are unpredictable and may change quickly
- toxic gases may be present in and around storm sewers and watercourses
- access is restricted, making rescue attempts are difficult
- tragic falls could take place
Please review this information with your children and let them know how dangerous storms sewers and waterways are.
Kindergarten registration continues
Parents can book an appointment to register their children
Children born in 2011 can start kindergarten in September 2015. Parents can contact their local Peel District School Board school to make an appointment to register their child. To find out which school their child will attend, parents can call 905-890-1010/1-800-668-1146 ext. 2212 or visit www.peelschools.org and click on ‘Find Your School’. School contact information is available on the Peel board website at www.peelschools.org/schools/all.
Parents should bring the following to registration:
Proof of child's age
· Canadian birth certificate
- Canadian passport
- citizenship card/certificate
- Permanent Resident Card
- confirmation of permanent residence
- work permit
- refugee permit
Proof of address
- Ontario driver's license
- utility bill
- bank statement/client slip (directly from financial institution)
- credit card statement
- federal government forms (e.g. Social Insurance Number, Service Canada documents)
- purchase agreement
Proof of custody
Proof of immunization
It is important for parents to know that required immunization information forms must be completed before children are allowed to attend class. Parents should contact Peel Health at Peel Public Health at 905-799-7700 (Caledon residents can call toll-free at 905-584-2216):
- for information about the immunization schedule in Ontario
- to verify that your child's record is up-to-date
- to obtain exemption forms if your child has not been immunized for medical reasons or because of conflict of religion or conscience
- for information about how to have your child immunized if you do not have an Ontario health card and can't afford a doctor's fee for immunization
For more information, visit www.peelschools.org/parents/kindergarten.
Tentative 2015-16 School Year Calendar now available
The Peel board's 2015-16 school year calendar (pending Ministry approval) is now available online at http://peelschools.org/calendar/schoolyear. Please note that these are tentative dates that will be approved by the Ministry of Education in late spring.
Using social media safely
With the growing number of social media sites, it is no surprise that social media is the most common form of communication for children and teenagers. Posts, status updates, comments, instant messages, video uploads, tweets and texts have become a regular part of their lives. While there are many positive benefits to using social media, including staying connected with friends and expressing your interests, students must be cautious in their use of these networks.
Among the most popular social media platforms used are Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, WeChat, Vine and Kik Messenger. Many of these platforms are free and are available on smartphones and other electronic devices. These platforms are easy to navigate and often allow information to be shared instantly, not only with friends, but with strangers. On social media, it is important to remember that the world is watching.
Here are some tips, provided by the Canadian Safe School Network and GetSafeOnline.org, to keep your children safe and help them make smart choices when using social media:
- Set some boundaries for your child before they get their first ‘connected device’ (mobile, tablet, laptop or games console). Once they have it, it can be more difficult to change the way they use it or the settings.
- Have a conversation about what is appropriate online behaviour and what actions could have huge repercussions that could damage their reputation and be harmful to others.
- Talk to your child about the kind of websites they look at. Encourage them to speak to you if they come across something they find worrying or upsetting on websites, games or social media.
- Discuss with your child what is safe and appropriate to post and share online. Written comments, photos and videos all form part of their ‘digital footprint’ and could be seen by anyone and available on the internet forever, even if it is subsequently deleted.
- Explain to your child that being online doesn’t give them anonymity or protection, and that they shouldn’t do anything online that they wouldn’t do face-to-face. Users should only accept people they know in order to protect themselves from spammers, strangers and others who may be using social networking sites to commit crimes.
- Unlike when they’re meeting someone face-to-face, children don’t always know who they’re actually ‘talking’ to online, even if they think they do. Tell your children they must never email, chat, or text with strangers, and it’s never okay to meet a stranger in the real world.
- Ensure your children set their privacy settings appropriately. Take the time to learn how privacy settings work on your children’s favourite sites, and teach them how to control their privacy.
- Tell your children never to share personal and private information with anyone online. This includes, but is not limited to, his or her full name, age, birth date, address, phone number, social insurance number, credit card information and parents’ full names.
Limit the amount of time that your children spend on social media platforms and talk about the importance of healthy and appropriate use of technology.
Countryside Village Public School
Website: http://schools.peelschools.org/1513/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 12175 Bramalea Road, Brampton, ON L7C2P9
Phone: 905-843-2927
Twitter: @CountrysidePDSB