The Villager
Stories from the Countryside: End of Year Edition
Countryside Village Public School - 40 Dolbyhill Drive, Brampton, Ontario
Message from Mrs. Pratt, Principal and Mrs. Raybould, Vice Principal
At this time of year as we say our goodbyes to those who will be moving on from Countryside Village Public School, we look back at all that has happened to us over the past year.
This has been a year of incredible upheaval. From our labour unrest in the winter to the unprecedented closing of schools at the March Break due to Covid-19, this has been a very eventful year. What has been apparent through all of this change is that amazing things have happened with students, families and staff as we have learned to be resilient and make the best of the difficult situations that we have faced. No one can predict what the future holds for us but we know that the Countryside Village community will help one another get through anything that comes our way. We will hold each other up and give each other the support needed to navigate these unusual times.
And as we say goodbye to students and staff we also wish everyone, both those who are leaving and those who will be returning in September, a safe and happy summer break. Each day we have encouraged you to use play to find your passion and purpose. We hope that you continue to find ways to inquire into the things that interest you and to demonstrate the love of learning that we have tried to foster in you at Countryside Village Public School this year.
Farewell!
Goodbye and Welcome!
Staff Changes at Countryside Village Public School
As we conclude another school year, we say goodbye to a few of our staff who are moving on to other opportunities within the Board and beyond:
Mrs. Walt - Grade 4/5 at Edenbrook Hill PS
Mrs. Simons - Grade 7 at Allan Drive MS
Ms. Woelfle - Grade 2/3 at Mount Royal
Ms. Tsagrinos - FSL at Cooksville Creek PS
Ms. Smith - Teaching Assistant at Thorndale PS
Ms. Belcher - Occasional Teaching Assistant
Mrs. Bindra - Occasional Teaching Assistant
Mrs. Bouzane (on leave)
Ms. Pitton (on leave)
We wish these ‘Villagers’ well in their new positions and know that they will take a little bit of our village with them when they go.
We welcome the following new staff to our school for the upcoming school year:
Ms. King - Kindergarten
Ms. Nickerson - Kindergarten
Ms. Saiyed - Kindergarten
Ms. Gennaro - Kindergarten
Mr. Gaebel - Grade 3/4
Ms. Gledhill - Grade 5
Ms. Hornis - Grade 6
Ms. Barbosa - Grade 7
Ms. Tran - Grade 8
Ms. Palmieri - Grade 8
Mr. Furegato - FSL
In addition we would like to acknowledge the staff who left us during the school year and thank them for their support of our students and school while they were here:
Mrs. Banski
Mrs. Ciuro
Ms. Biln
Mrs. Brain
And finally, with heavy hearts, we say goodbye to George who is retiring from school at age 5.7 years. George has been with us since Countryside Village Public School began in 2014 and he will be fondly missed by both staff and students. Happy retirement, George!
To all of my friends at Countryside Village P.S., it’s time for me to say “goodbye!”
There are moments in life when it is time for a new adventure. Don’t be afraid to take a new path when it appears. I have been working very hard for 8 years now and have reached the ancient age of 5.7. I am ready for some rest and relaxation as I enjoy my retirement. I will always keep memories of all of my Countryside friends in my heart. Thank you for all of the chats, hugs, kisses, love and bananas over the years. I have enjoyed every minute!
Love from, George
End of Year Message from Trustee Balbir Sohi
We are all in this together. Please reach out if you need anything - I’m always here with and for you.
Balbir Sohi
416-828-4330
PDSB Trustee Brampton
Wards 9/10
Year End Reflection- Embrace the Positive! - Words to Reflect Upon From the Grade 7 CVPS Class of 2016-2017
"“If you could, what would you change about this year?” At the end of each year, our teachers asks us this question. When asked this we tend to remind ourselves of every possible achievement and mistake we’ve made throughout the year. Achievements tend to give us a sense of pride, however, we stress over our mistakes. Our learning this year is that you need to find the positive, even in challenging situations. Despite challenges, we didn't allow ourselves to be overcome by our feelings of frustration. Being able to move past it, brought us to the understanding that patience plays a key role in life. We have learned that school is not only a staircase towards academic success, but it is also a journey which prepares us for the real world. Thank you to the students and staff of Countryside Village Public School for making this journey a phenomenal one.
Always remember to play with passion and practice until you find your purpose."
Happenings Around the School
Grade 8 Graduation
Graduation Message from Trustee Balbir Sohi
We Miss You & Farewell Parade
Thank you to the Grab 'n Go Team
We would like to thank the Grab 'n Go team for all the hard work you have done throughout the school year to keep us fed and healthy. Thank you for your efforts as throughout the year you provided us with a place to go to if we forgot our lunch, if we were hungry or if we did not have breakfast. We would like to recognize the team for all the hard work they did, setting out the bins, filling them and checking to make sure that they were always full of food that we can eat. Without your work, we would not have been as able to focus on our studies. Thank you for taking care of us.
Countryside Village Students
Eco Council News
Despite all the challenges our Eco Council has faced this year, we are grateful for our students' incredible dedication and continued commitment to environmental learning and action. Even though Distance Learning put us in an unprecedented position, students at Countryside Village continued to increase their knowledge by trying virtual learning challenges such as the Fashion Impact Challenges involving closet audits and upcycling crafts from the Fashion Takes Action group or the Travelling Audit in lieu of our Bike to School week. To celebrate our hard work, EcoSchools has granted us a Special Edition 2019-2020 EcoSchools Canada Seal. We look forward to implementing the rest of the fun and meaningful activities we planned in the 2020/2021 school year.
Countryside Village Goes Virtual
Ms. Widdifield's Math Class
Ms. Widdifield's Language Class
ISSP/ESL Team Photo
Ms. Birchard's Virtual Classroom
Ms. Woelfle's Virtual Classroom
Mrs. Pagett's Virtual Classroom
Grade 2 at Work & Play
Making Math Happen
Winter Concert
Working in our Outdoor Classroom
COYOTES’ ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
OPHEA GOLD CERTIFICATION
The Coyotes’ Athletic Department has been busy working away in our dens despite all the curve balls that came our way! Our most exciting piece of news for the 2019-2020 is that we once again received Gold Certification from OPHEA for the second year in a row. We were one of 137 schools across the province who were Healthy Schools certified, of which we are one of the 96 Gold certified schools! Congratulations to our Athletic Council members who had a great start this year leaving their mark early in 2019 despite the unprecedented events of 2020. The groundwork set up by our school community of students, staff, families and administrators early in the fall gave us the opportunity to achieve another gold banner! Well done Coyotes! A special shout out to our Athletic Council of Grade 8 students who we will miss greatly as they pursue their secondary school career. However, your dedication and energy has left behind a legacy from which all students have benefited this year and will continue to benefit from in the years to come.
Coyotes' Athletic Council
The Coyote Athletics Council is a committee of Grade 8 students who were selected to further develop their leadership skills here in the Village. They were working under the leadership of some of their teachers to further develop their skills while building school spirit. The Council met monthly to plan, organize and bring spirit into the school. They were an eager group of students who in their short term completed a number of school-wide spirit events that unfortunately came to a halt due to the unprecedented events of 2020.
In their short term in office some of the great things the Council organized included:
Primary Intramurals
Junior Intramurals consisting of: Flag Football, Cross Country, Volleyball & Basketball
Senior Intramurals consisting of: Flag Football, Cross Country, Volleyball & Basketball
Student/Teacher Volleyball Game
Student Coaches & Student Mentors
Grab and Go
Terry Fox Fundraising Event Assembly & Terry Fox Fundraising Pie in the Face
Halloween Dance & Halloween Haunted House
Halloween Pumpkin Contest & Candy Grams
Senior Girls' and Boys' Division 7 Volleyball Tournament
Holiday Spirit Week
Holiday Movie Snack Bar & Fundraiser
We also want to thank our sponsor President’s Choice Children’s Charity for their financial support of our daily Grab ‘n Go snack program helping us keep students fed and focused on learning at Countryside Village PS.
Our dedicated Council arrived eager to plan, organize and execute activities for the school community at large. Due to the unprecedented events of 2020, our Council’s plan came to an untimely end, however, their hard work and dedication to the Countryside Village community was appreciated. We will miss our leaders and wish our Class of 2020 the best of luck as they begin a new wonderful chapter in their lives.
Congratulations Coyotes' Athletic Council Class of 2020… GO COYOTES GO!
Coyotes' Athletic Department Distance Learning
We have kept busy from a distant… by doing some daily fitness through our monthly calendar. We also had a trick shot challenge, a Family Photo Fitness Challenge and weekly fitness check-ins. We are also looking forward to end our year off by participating in the Peel Board's Play Week starting Monday June 15, 2020 and our Senior Trivia Challenge this Tuesday June 16, 2020. Thank you to all the dedication and efforts by our parents and students as they supported our program from a distant!
Thank You Front Line Workers at Brampton Civic Hospital from Countryside Village PS Grade 2 Classes
"Mom/Dad I'm Bored!" What can You Do on your Summer Vacation
SUMMER ACTIVITIES THAT BOOST LEARNING
Kindergarten to grade 4
Sorting and stacking – Teach classification skills with dinnerware. Ask your child to match and stack dishes of similar sizes and shapes. Also have your child sort flatware – forks with forks, spoons with spoons. This is like recognizing the shapes of letters and numbers.
Comic strip writing – Use comic strips to help with writing. Cut the segments of a comic strip apart and ask your child to arrange them in order. Then ask your child to fill in the words of the characters (orally or in writing).
Float and sink – Encourage hypothesizing (guessing). Use several objects – soap, a dry sock, a bottle of shampoo, a wet sponge, an empty bottle. Ask your child which objects will float when dropped into water in a sink or bathtub. Then drop the objects in the water, one by one, to see what happens.
Daily Physical Activity - Encourage your child to play, run, jump and explore in the out of doors every day.
Grades 5 to 8
Follow the news – As a family, choose an important news event to follow for a day or two. Ask each person to find as much information on the topic as possible – read newspapers, look at online news webpages, listen to the radio and watch TV news. Then talk about what everyone learned.
Pro and con: what do you think? – Make a family game of discussing a special issue. For example, "Teenagers should be allowed to vote," or "There should never be any homework." Ask your children to think of all the reasons they can to support their views. Then ask them to think of reasons opposing their views. Which views are most convincing? For variety, assign family members to teams and have them prepare their arguments pro and con.
Stretch, run, walk – Ask your child to do at least one kind of exercise every day. For example, run or walk briskly for 10 minutes. Walk, when possible, instead of driving, for any distance less than a mile. Have your child make a week-long exercise plan. Try to think of a modest reward for sticking to the plan and exercise with your child.
Let your voice be heard – Promote good citizenship. Help your child write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper about an issue affecting children – for example, suggest that a bike path be built near the school or that a city event be planned for youngsters. Children are citizens, and their ideas are worth hearing.
TVO support for Math
MPower - Kindergarten to Grade 6 Math
TVO mPower are free, creative online games that support the development of foundational K-6 math and STEM skills while fostering positive attitudes towards math. Designed and developed in partnership with Ontario students and educators these games will boost your child's math skills in a way that is fun. Sign up today at:
Mathify - Grade 6 to 10 Math Tutoring
To complement your existing lessons and practice, TVO Mathify offers FREE 1:1 online Grade 6-10 math tutoring to students enrolled in Ontario’s publicly funded English language schools. The interactive whiteboard, voice and text chat make it easy to upload a math question and figure it out with the support of a math tutor, at a time that works for you.
Think of TVO Mathify as your own personalized math coach, here to support your learning at home. Sign-up, login and connect with an Ontario Certified Teacher of your choice at:
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,
Child care subsidy from the Region of Peel is accepted
See www.peelregion.ca/children or call (905) 793-9200 for information
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Board highlights
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Job postings for non-teaching staff
Learn about each new non-teaching job that is posted on the Peel board's Job Board.
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Countryside Village Public School
Email: countrysidevillage.ps@peelsb.com
Website: https://schools.peelschools.org/1513/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 40 Dolbyhill Drive, Brampton, ON, Canada
Phone: 905-796-4467
Twitter: @countrysidepdsb