The Villager
Stories from the Countryside: First Edition of 2015-2016
A Welcome Message from Mrs. Pratt, principal of Countryside Village
This is an unusual time to be welcoming our families to Countryside Village Public School but as we are growing day by day, a welcome at this time of year means that we include all of our new students, even those who have just arrived.
Countryside Village staff are excited to be involved in educating your children. We are passionate about learning and know that one of the most important markers of a successful school is the engagement of students in their own learning. Students who eagerly and enthusiastically come to school each day, looking forward to the work that they will do, are more likely to succeed. We work along side our students to guide their inquiry, encourage their creativity and instill a joy of learning in them that we hope will continue throughout their lives.
Each day we encourage students to use play to find their passion and purpose. Play, of course, looks different at each grade level. Playing is the act of inquiring into the things that interest students with the goal of discovering a purpose for learning and of understanding the world around them.
All of you have recently moved into an new community and are experiencing the joys (or frustrations) of a brand new home and development. You are also joining this new school community known as Countryside Village that temporarily is housed at the James Grieve site. We are also experiencing the joys and frustrations (but mostly joys) of creating a new school. With anything new there are inevitable problems to be solved. It is important to know that as we encounter issues we always keep the interests of our students at the centre of any decision that we make. We also look forward to working with families in partnerships to make the right decisions that support our students.
Because we have not yet had the opportunity to meet our families, we are planning an evening in the new year when all of our families are invited to come to the school. Please watch your email for the date of this event and plan to join us.
Our Staff
The following are the staff of Countryside Village Public School for 2015-2016:
Principal Deb Pratt
Office Manager Trish Adams
Office Assistant Kate Shewfelt
KA Heather Haslam-Smith & Manpreet Narli
KB Tracy Burk & Farhana Quraishi
KC Angela Poll-Griffith & Dhawne Foster
1A Jacinthe Page
1/2 Shauna Forrest
2/3 Susan Currie
3A Kim Woelfle
3/4 Robert Smythe
4/5 Urooj Malik
5/6 & ESL Kelley Joyce
6/7 & Media Phil Young
8A Karoline Nielsen
Music/Visual Arts Dave Hunter
FSL Olga Simanovich
ISSP/Guidance Jackie Torresan
Teacher Librarian/Primary Gym Susan Simons
ESL Freeha Rizvi
BERF Jennifer Van Luven
Head Custodian Mark Raney
Custodians Michael Burleigh, Joe Mangiarano
We are available by phone to answer any questions or concerns that you have. Calls are not put through to the classroom during teaching time but messages can be left for staff on their school voice mail at 905-843-2927. You can call Mrs. Pratt between the hours of 8:30 and 4:30 or leave her a message.
Upcoming Events
Progress Reports
Seasonal Concert
January Open House
In January we will be hosting our first Open House - an opportunity to visit the school to learn about inquiry-based learning and to meet your child's teacher. This is not an opportunity for an interview. However, if you would like to speak to your child's teacher about his/her progress, please make an appointment by calling the school at 905 843 2927. We will send additional information about the time and date of this event when we return from the Winter Break. Remember school begins again on
Monday January 4th.
Parent resources help you support your child’s learning
At the Peel 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.
Visit www.peelschools.org/parents/helpyourchild to explore all resources available to parents. There you will find easy-to-navigate buttons that connect families to tip sheets and web pages on a number of different topics, including math, homework, special education, EQAO and mental health.
Peel Explore and Learn Centres
School Age Programs & Day Camps
Engaging and supervised Before & After School Programs are available at Countryside Village Public School. These programs are for students in junior and senior kindergarten, as well as Grades 1 to 6. Through the school holidays and on professional activity (PA) days exciting Day Camps are also available.
The Programs are operated by Peel Explore & Learn Centres and licensed by the Ministry of Education. Our goal is to engage school-aged children when school is out.
The Before School Program opens at 7 am and offers a nutritious breakfast snack and a range of activities each morning.
The After School Program starts once school is dismissed and continues until 6 pm. Children enjoy a healthy snack and weekly programming, participate in recreational activities, and have support to complete school assignments.
The Day Camps offer full days of excitement combining engaging programming with physical activity, creative arts, and field trips!
To register or for more information contact us at,
- PEALCentres@gmail.com or,
- (905) 790-6958
Child care subsidy from the Region of Peel is accepted
See www.peelregion.ca/children or call (905) 793-7200 for information
Closing schools due to bad weather
During the winter months, we may need to cancel buses or close schools because of inclement weather.
Information regarding details of cancellations or closures will be announced on radio and television stations listed below and posted at www.peelschools.org and www.stopr.ca. Information will also be available on Twitter @Peelschools, Facebook at www.facebook.com/peelschools or by calling 905-890-1010 or 1-800-668-1146.
VIRGIN RADIO FM99.9 CHUM AM1050 CFTR AM680
CFNY FM102.1/AM640 CJCL AM590 CHFI FM98.1
CFRB AM1010 EZ ROCK FM97.3 CJBC (FR) AM860
FM Z103.5 FM93.1 FM Q107
CHIN FM100.7/AM1540 CBC99.1 CTV
CITYPULSE GLOBAL NEWS
One of the following messages will be announced (highlighted text only):
Peel District School Board buses are cancelled.
This means that schools remain open for students and staff, but buses are cancelled. Bus cancellations could occur in all or parts of municipalities. Buses will remain cancelled all day. All activities that require bussing will also be cancelled. Permits, night school classes, child care and other activities in schools will operate as usual.
All Peel District School Board schools and board offices are closed.
This means that all schools and Board offices are closed to students and staff. All activities in schools and board offices are also cancelled, including child care, night school and permits.
All evening programs and permits at the Peel District School Board are cancelled.
This means that all activities in schools and Board offices are cancelled, including continuing education courses and events. The buildings will be closed.
All weekend programs and permits at the Peel District School Board are cancelled.
This means that all activities in schools and Board offices are cancelled, including continuing education courses and events. The buildings will be closed.
Winter Bus Safety
The following winter school bus safety tips will help to keep your child safe throughout the winter months.
Allow extra time to get to your bus stop.
Wear bright clothing so the bus can see you in the early morning and late evening.
Stand away from where the bus stops. Buses need extra room to stop when there is snow and ice.
Use the handrail when boarding or exiting the bus to prevent slipping on wet or icy steps or road surfaces.
Dress properly—winter clothing, hats, and boots will keep you warm.
Don't throw snowballs at the bus or other children waiting for the bus.
Don't slide on the snow or ice patches in driveways or on the street.
Don't push or shove around the bus. Someone could fall down on the ice and get hurt.
On very rare occasions, buses are late because of weather conditions or mechanical problems. Talk to your child about what to do if the bus is late. Here are some suggestions:
When possible, wait with your child for the bus.
Make sure your child knows a phone number where he can reach you or another trusted adult.
Teach your child how and where to get help. Talk to your child about what a "safe" stranger is.
Help your child set up a bus stop buddy system so your child has someone to wait with for the bus.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE LATE BUS NOTIFICATIONS
Go to www.stopr.ca
Click on “For Late Bus Notifications and Inclement Weather cancellations, please visit delays and cancellation” – This is printed in RED about 1/3 the way down the page
Click on “Subscriptions” at the top right of the page.
Click on “Subscribe”
Enter your email address
Click on “Subscribe”
You will get an email asking you to confirm your subscription. Click on “Confirm” which will open a link asking you to set a password and also confirm that password.
You will get a thank you for confirming your subscription and telling you to Login to manage your subscription.
Enter your email address and password; click on Login
From the drop down menu for “Find Your Route by:” pick “School Name” and in the next dropdown you look for Countryside Village PS and now click on “Find”
Click on the two routes that correspond to your child’s bus:
BUS 1: 513.001 & 513.101
BUS 2: 513.002 & 513.102
BUS 3: 513.003 & 513.103
BUS 4: 513.004 & 513.104
BUS 5: 513.005 & 513.105
BUS 6: 513.006 & 513.106
At bottom of the table, click on the button that says “Subscribe”
Scroll back to the top of the page, you will see “Current Subscriptions” which should now list your buses.
It's time to register children born in 2012 for kindergarten
We inspire success, confidence and hope in each student…and it all starts in kindergarten! If your child was born in 2012, he or she can start kindergarten in September 2016. You can register your child at any time during regular school hours—just visit the school he/she will be attending to register.
Peel schools will also hold a Kindergarten Registration Week with special registration activities during Feb. 1 to 4, 2016. Visit Countryside Village Public School from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2, 3 and 4 and from 5 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 4.
What you will need to bring to registration:
Proof of child's age (one of the following)
Canadian birth certificate
Canadian passport
citizenship card/certificate
Permanent Resident Card
confirmation of permanent residence
work permit
refugee permit
Proof of address (one of the following)
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 – children must live with their parent(s) unless provided documentation supports an alternate living arrangement
Proof of immunization – proof that your child has been immunized/vaccinated
Help your teen plan for grade 9 course selections for 2016-17
Soon, current grade 8 students will select their courses for grade 9. Before they do, we want to ensure that they have the opportunity to consult with their teachers, guidance counsellor, if applicable, and their parents.
As our partners, families are encouraged to help prepare their teens for course selection. We encourage you to become familiar with the process by creating a myBlueprint account. Additionally, parents/guardians and students can review Chart Your Course, the Peel District School Board’s common course calendar, at www.peelschools.org/students/commoncoursecalendar. This guide will help you understand the course selection process and provide information on the courses and programs offered in Peel secondary schools.
You can also visit www.myBlueprint.ca/Peel, an online planning tool that includes the following:
high school planner for course selection
goal-setting
career spectrum for finding your learning style
occupation planner for exploring careers
post-secondary planner for opportunities after high school
The grade 9 course selection process will be open from Jan. 4 to Jan. 22, 2016. If you have questions or are looking for course suggestions, please contact your teen’s teachers or guidance counselor.
Subscribe to receive news from the Peel Board
During the winter months, we may need to cancel buses or close schools because of inclement weather. Information regarding details of cancellations or closures will be posted at www.peelschools.org and www.stopr.ca.
You can also subscribe to receive:
News releases
Keep up with the news at the Peel board. Subscribe to receive Peel board news releases to learn more about board news and school events.
Board agendas
Learn more about Peel board meetings by subscribing to receive agendas. Meetings of the board are open to the public and are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month.
Board highlights
Briefing is a newsletter with highlights of decisions made by trustees at board meetings. It is sent out on the second and fourth Thursday of every month and immediately following any special board meetings.
Job postings for non-teaching staff
Learn about each new non-teaching job that is posted on the Peel board's Job Board.
Countryside Village Public School
Email: countrysidevillage.ps@gmail.com
Location: 12175 Bramalea Road, Caledon East, ON, Canada
Phone: 905-843-2927
Twitter: @countrysidepdsb