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JOSEPH HOWE SENIOR PUBLIC SCHOOL
20 Winter Gardens Trail
Scarborough, Ontario M1C 3E7
416/396-6405
Ms. S. Boland, Principal
Ms. J. Solman, Vice-Principal
http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/josephhowe
DECEMBER 2016
Dec. 5 School Council Meeting – Staff Room – 7:00
Dec. 7 Winter Concert – 7:00
Dec. 7 Gr. 8 Walking To Mowat For Performance P.M.
Dec. 9 Immunization Clinic – Gym
Dec. 9 Junior Achievers – Gr. 8
Dec. 14 Skills Canada Presentation – Gr. 7
Dec. 16 Pizza Lunch Fundraiser – School Council
Cafeteria Food Service Closed
Dec. 21 8A, 8B and 7D – Wynchwood Theatre
Dec. 22 Holiday Dance – P.M.
Dec. 23 Last Day Of School Before Christmas Break
Jan. 9 First Day Back After Christmas Break
Jan. 11/12 Kindness Club
Jan. 17 Ski Club At Lakeridge Ski Resort
Jan. 18 Gr. 8 to 9 Transition – At Mowat – 7:00
Jan. 20 PA Day – Students Do Not Attend School
Jan. 23/26 Dental Screening
Jan. 24 Ski Club At Lakeridge Ski Resort
Jan. 27 Pizza Lunch Fundraiser – School Council
Cafeteria Food Service Closed
Jan. 31 Ski Club At Lakeridge Ski Resort
Feb. 1 Graduation Pictures
Feb. 6 School Council Meeting – Staff Room – 7:00
Feb. 7 Ski Club At Lakeridge Ski Resort
Feb. 17 PA Day – Students Do Not Attend School
Feb. 20 Family Day
PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING
REMIND 101
Sign up and receive short weekly texts from the Principal! This is a one-way text that will remind parents/guardians of events that are happening at the school each week.
Text 437-800-2358 with the message @josephh and you will be a member of Remind 101!
IMMUNIZATION CLINIC
The Public Health Department will be at Howe to immunize our students on Dec. 9. If you have not already done so please return the permission forms for inoculation to the office as soon as possible.
SCHOOL COUNCIL
The School Council meets from 7:00 p.m. to approximately 8:15 p.m. in the staffroom on the first floor. Parents, staff and members of the community make up the council. All are welcome. Meetings dates were established as:
Dec. 5, Feb. 6, Mar. 6, April 3, May 1 and (June 5 tentative)
CHRISTMAS BREAK
This year Christmas break takes place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 6. Students attend school until Friday, Dec. 23 and return to school on Monday, January 9.
HOLIDAY DANCE
The School Council is hosting a Holiday Treat Fundraiser during our Holiday Dance on the afternoon of Thursday, Dec. 22.
We hold dances at Howe to give students the opportunity to learn and grow socially and interact with their peers. If you decide that your child will not be attending the dance, we will provide alternative educational (Robotics, Lego, Coding and other STEM activities) lead by staff.
Ms. S. Boland, Principal
WINTER CONCERT
Our holiday concert is fast approaching and the groups are busy practising. Our musical event will take place on the evening of Dec. 7 in the Joseph Howe gym. Tickets will be available at the door for $5.00. The proceeds of ticket sales will go directly to the enhancement of the music department.
The School Council will be organizing a fundraiser during the concert evening. They will be selling bottled water and gingerbread cookies.
JOSEPH HOWE SKI CLUB NEWS
If you have any questions about Ski Club, please contact Mr. Barnes.
We will have a representative from Lakeridge speak about Safety on the Slopes when we reach Lakeridge for our first ski evening. At that time they will also do rental equipment fitting.
Ski Club will take place at Lakeridge on:
Tuesday, January 17,
Tuesday, January 24,
Tuesday, January 31 and
Tuesday, February 7
with a rain/extreme cold weather date of February 14. The make-up date is in case Lakeridge cancels - if we cancel we do not get a refund.
We will leave Joseph Howe between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. and arrive at Lakeridge about 4:00 p.m. Lessons will start shortly after (these lessons are MANDATORY for all skiers). We will return to the Rouge Hill Go Station at around 9:15 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. depending on the weather and road conditions. Helmets are also MANDATORY for all skiers.
Please note that drop off will be at the Rouge Hill Go Station parking lot at 9:15 p.m. - 9:30 p. m. Please be prompt when picking up your child since it will be a long day for everyone involved.
Thanks to all staff who are involved in such a great club. Without everyone's co-operation and effort, we would not have the opportunity to run at Joseph Howe Ski Club.
Mr. J. Barnes
INTO THE WOODS
Do you like to be dramatic, make a scene or be the star of the show for just one minute? Everyone deserves a moment in the spotlight to showcase their talents. Some people are great athletes, academics, musicians and leaders. We all need an opportunity to shine at what we do best!
For the first time in a long time, Joseph Howe will be presenting a musical. “Into The Woods” will have performances in the Mowat Auditorium on April 25 and 26. Over fifty students auditioned for parts in the musical. Thirty students were selected and have been working hard and practising every week.
So get excited! It is going to be a great show. Mark the dates on your calendar and look forward to seeing us shine!
By Emily
YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN
Grade 8 students will be walking over to Mowat to watch Mowat’s production of “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” on the afternoon of December 7. The students will meet in their homeroom class after lunch, take attendance and then walk over to Mowat. Students will return to Howe by approximately 2:15 and will attend their last period.
Many of the students in the production are HOWE alumni!!
Ms. S. Solman
ECO CLUB NEWS
Our Howe Green Team is very busy making plans for the year. This year the Joseph Howe Eco Team intends to apply for platinum level status for our school. At the moment we hold gold status.
To up our game and achieve our goal of a platinum status school we have various teams responsible for different tasks such as recycling, greening, announcements, assembly presentations, posters/bulletin boards, fund-raising, etc. We have a few fantastic initiatives already underway. For example, Walk/Wheel to school is every last Wednesday of the month. Please encourage your child to ride their bike or walk to school. Also, remind your child to bring a litterless lunch on Tuesdays. We have also set a goal through the Earth Rangers to try to raise $500 to help bring back the bees. So far, through fundraising and donations, we have raised $250.00. The Green Team appreciates all who donated money and made items for our bake sale.
The Green Team will also be focusing on some other recycling initiatives. Our school will collect used batteries and ink cartridges to divert them from the landfill.
Ms. D. Boyd
GRADE 8 TO 9 TRANSITION
Please contact Kelley Miller-Caise through the main office should you have any questions at this time about the high school transition process.
SECONDARY SCHOOL INFORMATION EVENINGS
JANUARY 18 AT 7:00 AT MOWAT
All Grade 8 students and their parents are invited to attend a meeting at Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute to build an understanding of transition from grade 8 to 9 and the special features and program available at Sir Oliver Mowat.
Remaining information nights at local secondary schools are as follows:
Cedarbrae Dec. 7 6:30
Delphi Secondary Alternative Dec. 1 7:00
Delphi Secondary Alternative Jan. 19 7:00
Malvern Jan. 11 7:00
Maplewood High School By Appt. Only
Sir Oliver Mowat Jan. 18 7:00
Ms. K. Miller-Caise ~ Itinerant Guidance Counsellor
THE BYSTANDER
This is the third part of a series on The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander. This month we will look at the “Bystander”.
Someone who sees a person bully another is called a “Bystander”. Bystanders may not be directly involved with bullying behaviour, however, they may encourage the bully by laughing or by not taking responsibility for helping the victim.
Parents and the school community must help children to understand the problems associated with bullying (emotional & physical) and the personal contributions they can make to help reduce it. With adult support, children can develop strategies to intervene themselves, or seek adult assistance. For example, bystanders can:
· remove themselves from the situation and report to a trusted adult
· reach out to victims; find allies and stand up to the bully as a group
· send the message with words and actions that bullying is NOT okay and NOT funny
· encourage the victim to report or self-report to a trusted adult
· finally, with adult support, bystanders can become active witnesses, promoting attitudes in their peer group, which promote social responsibility and encourage respect and compassion for others.
SCHOOL COUNCIL PIZZA
FRIDAY FUNDRAISERS
Dec. 16 Jan. 27
The cafeteria food services will be closed on the above four dates. Students will have to bring their own lunch to school if they did not choose to participate in pizza lunch days. Students will NOT be allowed to sign out and go the local plazas.
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Mrs. Varga at 416/724-2262 .
LIBRARY NEWS
The library is open every day until 4:00 p.m. except for when there is a staff meeting on the first Monday of the month, or ski club days. On Thursdays the library closes at 3:30 p.m.
BOOK CLUB
Book Club started Thursday, Nov. 24 (at lunch time) in the library. It will run generally on day 5 until March Break. Please See Ms. Downey if you have questions. Everyone who enjoys reading and discussing books is welcome.
Ms. J. Downey
DENTAL SCREENING
The Public Health Department will be conducting a dental screening Jan. 23, 24 and 26 for all students in the school. This screening consists of a quick look into the mouth by a qualified dental hygienist using a sterilized mirror and dental explorer for each student. As a follow up to the screening, parents whose children require dental services will be notified.