PLOWMAN’S PARK P.S.

Principal: Sue Marks

Vice Principal: Kim Vander Glas

Superintendent: Poleen Grewal

Mississauga West Field Office

905 569-9946

Trustee: Meredith Johnson

Mississauga Wards 9 & 10

416-706-9215

5940 Montevideo Road

Mississauga, ON L5N 3J5

905-821-4973 Safe Arrival 905-821-4973 Ext. 1

SCHOOL WEBSITE http://schools.peelschools.org/1556

Partners in learning: Working together today for a global tomorrow.

Respect Safety Peace

October,2012

PLEASE NOTE:

Open House on Thursday, October 4th has been postponed

School Closed: Thanksgiving Day, Monday, Oct. 8th

CARING*RESPONSIBLE*INCLUSIVE*RESPECTFUL*HONEST*COOPERATIVE

This year at Plowman’s Park, we are continuing to promote Character Education. The character traits recognized by the Peel District School Board (Caring, Responsible, Inclusive, Respectful, Honest, Cooperative) are traits we are teaching every day. The following students were recognized this month for their random acts of good character: Arish A., Juelz C., Jayden C., Trisha A., Delvin K., Noah R., Charlie S., Vanshika C., Aislinn H., Fady S., Sherry C., Syed Hasan N., Risha A., Maisoon F., Nazanina M., Wali M., Ayesha U., Nylah A., Atiya A., Dominic B., Jack D., Taliyah F., Daniel J., Armeen A., Mutahir S., Lily B.

OUR STAFF UPDATE

This September we said good-bye to Mr. Kevin Scott. Mr. Scott has been at Plowman’s Park for over three years. He will be missed by our staff, students, and community. We wish him well in his new school. We also said good-bye to Mrs. Raheela Naseem, one of our Early Childhood Educators. Our youngest students will miss her warm smile in the classroom.

Mrs. Dryfhout is now teaching a combined Grade 1/2 class, Mrs. Sheehan is teaching a combined Grade 2/3 class, and Miss Montador is teaching Grade 6.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR

OCTOBER 1 – OCTOBER 4, 2011

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Plowman’s Park! We invite you to share in this celebration of books and reading with us. Did you know that for every $10 you spend at the Book Fair, up to $6 goes back to our school? This allows us to purchase needed books and educational resources.

The Book Fair is open from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Book Fair is closed during recess.

We accept cheques made payable to Plowman’s Park P.S. and also accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

BREAKFAST CLUB BEGINS!

START YOUR DAY IN A HEALTHY WAY!

Breakfast Club will be starting on Thursday, October 11th. Students must be registered to attend. Parking lot doors (Door D) open at 8 a.m. Bus students will enter upon arrival. Looking forward to a "yummy" year!

DAFFODIL PLANTING

Last year’s School Council designated funds to plant a daffodil garden at the front of the school. As fall is the necessary time to plant Daffodil bulbs, we have scheduled a planting day on October 9 and 10. There will be a bulb for each student to plant, along with one for each staff member. Upon completion, each planter will receive a plastic daffodil pin as a thank you. This activity supports the Canadian Cancer society (through our purchases) and the school goal of having a participatory garden space.

CAN YOU HELP US FILL A PLOWMAN’S PARK BUCKET?

This year at Plowman’s Park we continue to promote Character Education. During our September Assembly all of the Grade 1 to 6 Students were introduced to the story Have You Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud. This story speaks to the opportunity that everyone has to be able to contribute to the well-being of others. It also helps us recognize the Character Traits that the Peel Board has deemed be part of every school. They are: Caring, Responsibility, Inclusivity, Respect, Honesty, and Cooperation. Please take the time to discuss this story with your child, and/or to discuss the meaning of these Character Traits.

During the course of the year we will be focusing many of our efforts to help your children; our students; to value, appreciate and practice appropriate behavior. Every classroom and every teacher has a bucket in their classroom which can be filled with recognition slips of the good acts carried out by the students. Your child will contribute to the bucket each time he or she acts in a manner that merits recognition. Sometime during the next months your child may bring home a pink “Character Education Award”. If so please praise your child for helping to fill a bucket.

STUDENT MILK PROGRAM

Our Milk Program for students will begin on Tuesday, October 9. You may order and pay for your milk online at www.remembermeinc.com.

PIZZA THURSDAYS

Our first pizza lunch is Thursday October 11.

FALL FOOD DRIVE

Once again, the theme of our fall food drive is “Yes You Can!!” We are asking for donations of “canned goods” to the food drive. Many kinds of food come in cans: soup, juice, milk, tuna, meat, fruit, vegetables, and pasta. NO pop please. You may send donations to school with your child. All proceeds will be sent to the Food Bank housed at Eden United Church for distribution in our community. Please care to share.

NEWS FROM MRS. WINTERS IN THE MUSIC ROOM

Students are doing a fantastic job with the routines and expectations in the music room. The students are singing, moving, and beginning to enjoy the instruments during their music class. Chamber choir auditions are coming soon so be sure to listen to the morning announcements.

We are pleased to provide our students with four special performances during the 2012-2013 school year. These performances are always amazing and come at a very small cost to each student. A letter will be going home soon, outlining each show and cost per student.

NEWS FROM MRS. CATALANO IN THE GYM

Welcome back to a new school Year! We are already busy in the gym being active and getting fit. The first two weeks of gym class were spent participating in fitness activities and fitness tests such as the beep test.This allowedstudentsto assess their own fitness level and set goals to improve their cardiovascular fitness throughout the year. We are now entering our unit on indoor soccer and will then enter our first Health Unit on Nutrition and Healthy Eating.

Students in Grades 2-6 are reminded that they require clean indoor running shoes, shorts and a T-shirt for gym class. Grade one students require clean indoor running shoes. Plowman’s Park T-shirts ($10) and Gym Bags ($5) continue to be available for purchase from Mrs. Catalano.

Stay fit! Stay Active!

KISS AND RIDE PROCEDURES

Thank you to all parents who have been driving slowly and cautiously at the school and on the surrounding streets. If you are walking to school, please continue to follow the directions of the crossing guard and other teachers to keep your children safe. If you are unable to use the Kiss and Ride, you may park in the church parking lot next door and accompany your children into the schoolyard. Please remember there is no parking on the school property for parents.

In the Morning

·  Kiss and ride opens with the first bell at 8:30 am. At 8:40 am there is a warning bell. That is when students line up to enter the building or their portables. Students are then directed into the building. At 8:45 am the instructional day begins.

·  Two cars can unload at one time.If you are the first car, please pull up to the sign so two cars can unload at a time, reducing the time spent in line waiting to drop off your children.

·  After 8:45 am please drop off students at the front door! A sign will be outside reminding you to come to the front doors. Please DO NOT drop off your children at the Kiss and Ride once the sign is up as our instructional day begins at 8:45 am. To ensure the safety of your children, after 8:45 am please drive around to the front of the school and drop students off at the front doors. Students are to report to the main office, sign in, get a late slip and go to their classes. Students in portables will be supervised as they go to their portables.

In the Afternoon

·  Kiss and ride will continue as in the past

·  Two cars will pull up and the children will be directed to get into the vehicles once they come to a complete stop.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! WE ARE LOOKING FOR PARENTS TO ASSIST US AT KISS N RIDE IN THE MORNING. PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!

READING TIPS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER

When you read each night with your child, it is important to ask them questions. Different questions that you ask can help you to understand how well your child understands what they are reading. Here are just a couple of questions that you can ask your child to see if they understand the meaning of what they are reading.

Does this text remindyou of another textyou have read?

How does this text make you feel?

What do you think might happen next?

Does this character remind you of anyone?

Tell me about a time when you may have been in a similar situation as the main character.

How did the picture help you to understand the meaning of the story?

ARRIVAL CHECK PROGRAM

If your child will be LATE or ABSENT, please leave a message on our Safe Arrival Line. The phone number for student absences is: 905- 821-4973 extension # 1.

SCHOOL HOURS

PROMPTNESS – AN IMPORTANT LIFE SKILL

School instructional time for students in Kindergarten to Grade 6 begins at 8:45 a.m., with the entry bell ringing at 8:40 a.m. We feel that it is important for students to settle quickly into their morning routines so that every minute can be used effectively, thus maximizing student learning.

We would like all students to have entered into the building and be in their classroom by 8:45 sharp, ready for announcements for the day. An ideal arrival time is between 8:30-8:40. Thank you for helping us achieve MAXIMUM LEARNING TIME FOR ALL!

NO SCENTS IS GOOD SENSE

Just a reminder that all staff, students, and visitors at Plowman's Park are asked to contribute to healthy indoor air environment by not using perfumes, colognes or other scented products.

ALLERGIES

We have students and staff in our school that have severe allergies to peanuts, nuts, eggs, latex, shellfish and fish. For these people, exposure to these products can cause anaphylaxis, a serious life-threatening reaction. In the interest of safety, we are requesting that you do not send your child to school with peanut butter, or tuna sandwiches or with any food products that may contain peanuts or peanut oil, nuts or fish. Vegetables and fruit snacks are good alternatives.

SCHOOL COUNCIL

Our first meeting is Wednesday, October 10 at 6:30 pm in the school library. Everyone is welcome! We are pleased to announce that all of our nominees will be acclaimed therefore, we will not be holding an election. Congratulations to Emily Moore, Nasir Naqvi, Becky Rusk and Nancy Samborsky! When you are in the school please check the School Council Bulletin Board in the main foyer for more information.

SHARE YOUR SMILE!

Our school photo day is Tuesday, October 2. Edge Imaging will be here to take individual student photos and class photos.

CELEBRATE WORLD TEACHER APPRECIATION

DAY ON OCTOBER 5

Since 1994, parents and students from around the world have celebrated World Teacher Appreciation Day to commemorate the work of teachers and their contributions to society. During the week of October 5, take the time to let your child's teacher know he or she is truly appreciated. Thank your child's teacher and let them know they are making a difference.

BUS DRIVER APPRECIATION DAY

Peel schools will pay tribute to bus drivers on Bus Driver Appreciation Day on Oct. 17. The day will be celebrated with special activities and events that provide teachers, students and parents an opportunity to thank the people who safely transport 36,000 students to and from school each day.

If your child rides the bus to school, take this opportunity to thank the bus driver for his or her contribution and ask your child to do so too. The Peel board appreciates the important job bus drivers do each school day and Oct. 17 provides an opportunity to give these individuals the recognition they deserve.

Celebrating Faith and Culture October 2012

Date

/ Celebration / Faith and Culture
October / Xlaaw / Aboriginal Spirituality
Sunset Sept 30 – Oct 7 / Sukkot / Judaism
October 2 / Mehergan / Zoroastrianism
October 7 / World Communion Sunday / Christianity
Sunset October 7 - 9 / Simchat Torah / Judaism
October 8 / Thanksgiving Day / Canada
October 12 - 16 / Ghambar Ayathrem / Zorastrianism
October 15 / Sharad Navratri / Hinduism
October 16 – November 3 / The month of 'Ilm / Bahá'í
October 20 / Birth of the Báb / Bahá'í
October 20 / Installation of Guru Granth as Guru / Sikhism
October 22 / Durgashtami / Hinduism
October 23 / Vijaya Dashmi/Dassehra / Hinduism
October 25 / Waqfatu’Arafat / Islam
October 26 / Eid-ul-Adha / Islam
October 29 / Kathina, Pavarana, Anapanasati and Founders' Day / Buddhism
October 31 / Halloween / Canada
October 31 - November 1 / Samhain / Wicca