Everyone at Homestead is excited about the tentative agreements which have been reached by the various unions, associations and government. We are all looking forward to returning to regular routines. As our Director Education, Tony Pontes, points out in his letter to school communities posted on school websites, activities will slowly return as soon as teachers, custodians and office administrative staff resume routines. Some annual school events, such as, Terry Fox Walk, 12 Days of Giving, etc., may happen and some may look a little different this year. Your patience and understanding as we navigated through the uncertainties presented during the labour sanctions have been very much appreciated. As we return to regular routines, we look forward to making this school year an exciting educational experience with you as partners in your child’s education.
Dance A thon success! Kudos to our School Council for making this much-anticipated event happen again this year. On October 30th, staff and students danced to raise money for the school to the tune of $2,000.00. Did you see some of the tweets on twitter? It was a lot of fun!
Hungry Huskies Breakfast club is back! Homestead Public School has offered a breakfast program for the past two years, 3 days a week. We serve a nutritious “Grab ‘n Go” type breakfast to about 60 students a day. Although we do receive some funding from the YMCA, that amount covers 15% of the total program costs. Last year, it cost approximately $6,500.00 to provide breakfast for our students. We will be doing some fund raising this year to keep the program running. More details to come at a later date about this. If you would like to donate money or gift cards to this program, please contact Mrs. Lefebvre at ext. 109.
Hungry Huskies Breakfast Club - every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Starting Tuesday, November 17th - room 109, 8 – 8:25 a.m.
Thursdays are Pizza Day - $1.50/slice – cheese or pepperoni.
Orders for students in Gr. 1-5 are taken Thursday mornings before 9 a.m.
Kindergarten student orders are due Tuesday mornings.
Proactive circles are here! As part of our Climate for Learning and Working initiatives this year, teachers are integrating the use of ‘circles’ into their class routines to support students in building positive relationships with peers, teachers and administration. Circles by their very structure, convey certain important ideas and values which support the values the Peel District School Board promotes:
· Equality – literally everyone in the circle has equal seating.
· Safety and trust – you can see everyone in a circle, so nothing is hidden.
· Responsibility – everyone has a chance to play a role in the outcome of the circle.
· Facilitation – their circle remind the leader to facilitate rather than lecture.
· Ownership – collectively, the participants feel the circle is theirs.
· Connections – these are built as everyone listens to everyone else’s responses. (Restorative Circles in Schools, 2010)
Through the use of circles, we can support students in developing and practising the values and character traits. Each month, we focus on a specific value and at the beginning of each month and we celebrate student success in demonstrating these at our Top Dog Assemblies at the beginning of the next month. Parents are invited to attend our Top Dog Assemblies each month.
Month / Character Trait/Value / Assembly date / TimeNovember / Respectful / December 4/15 / 8:30 a.m.
December / Caring, Sharing / January 4/16 / 1:30 p.m.
January / Responsible / February 3/16 / 8:30 a.m.
February / Caring / March 2/16 / 8:30 a.m.
March / Honesty / April 1/16 / 8:30 a.m.
April / Bullying Awareness / May 2/16 / 1:30 p.m.
May/June / Cooperation / June 1/16 / 8:30 a.m.
Student agendas are a great means of communication! Parents are encouraged to include notes to their child’s teacher in the student agenda especially when needing to take your child out of school early for an appointment. Kindly note the time you will be coming to get them and the teacher will try to have them ready for you down in the office. Please note that after 2:15 p.m., we will not be calling students out of class to be signed out early. The end of the school day is a very busy time and to minimize disruptions we are asking parents to come before 2:15 if they need to take their child out for an appointment.
School Council meetings are open to all parents! Parents are welcome to attend and join our School Council. Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month. The first meeting for this year’s Council will be on Thursday, December 3rd, 6:30 p.m. in the staffroom. Childcare is provided for school age children free of charge. We hope you will consider joining this group of parents as they work very closely with the staff to organize school events and fundraisers which benefit our children and community.
Mr. Sub Lunch are back! Its School Council’s pleasure to offer parents and students the option of ordering Mr. Sub for lunch twice monthly.The Mr. Sub lunch deal is $5 per lunch and comes with a 6 inch sub, drink and snack. The money raised goes towards supporting parent council’s fundraising efforts for much needed programs and activities for the students throughout the year.
Please find below a chart outlining dates to help parents with meal planning. We will be conducting a trail period during the months of December, May and June when Mr. Sub will be available to order every week. The response will indicate if there is a enough interested to offer the program on a weekly basis in the future.
Order Forms Go Home / Orders & Money Due Back / Lunch DatesNovember 5th / November 11th / Nov. 17 & 24
November 20th / November 25th / Dec. 1, 8, 15
December 18th / January 6th / Jan. 12 & 26
January 29th / February 2nd / Feb. 9 & 23
February 26th / March 1st / Mar. 8 & 22
March 31st / April 5th / April 12 & 26
April 22nd / April 26th / May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
May 27th / May 31st / June 7, 14, 21, 28
Choose Action on Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week
The Peel District School Board will recognize Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week during the week of Nov. 16 to 22, 2015.
This year, we ask the Peel community to #ChooseAction to Change the World. The Peel board would like to hear about the big and small actions, the pledges, the promises and the attitudes that our Peel community value, and ask that you take a moment to share your #ChooseAction moments on social media.
Across the Peel board, schools use many programs and initiatives to prevent bullying and to intervene when bullying happens. Though the programs vary, their messages are consistent. Students are taught to:
· define bullying
· identify forms of bullying
· identify the shifting roles in bullying relationships, for example the person who bullies, the target, the bystander or the trusted advocate
· determine how to safely “choose action” to prevent and intervene in bullying & harassment
· understand that bullying is a relationship problem with relationship solutions
· determine positive ways to interact with others in an accepting, inclusive way
· demonstrate character attributes and be a leader to help maintain positive and safe school communities
Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week is one of the key items contained in Bill 13: The Accepting Schools Act, that came into effect on Sept. 1, 2012. For more information, visit: www.peelschools.org/aboutus/safeschools/bullying/ or www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/safeschools/prevention.html.
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.
Bus cancellation & 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:
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 busing 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.
Subscribe to receive news from the Peel board
Take advantage of our electronic subscription service to automatically receive updates from the Peel District School Board. Subscribing is easy just visit our website at www.peelschools.org and click on the subscription link under "Quick Links."
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.
Peel board students have choice
Explore program options at www.makingmyway.ca
Students have different needs, interests and abilities—our schools offer great educational opportunities to help all students achieve. For students looking for a more focused, specialized program, here are some options:
Regional programs start in grades 6, 7 and 9
Students in regional programs still complete all of the requirements of the Ontario curriculum, but there is an increased focus on an area of interest. Programs include:
· Actively in Motion (AIM)
· Advanced Placement
· Arts
· Arts and Technology
· Graphic Design Management: Flexography
· International Baccalaureate
· International Business and Technology
· International and Executive Leadership Academy
· SciTech
· Sports
· Strings
· Truck and Coach Technology
Specialist High Skills Major programs start in grade 11
Specialist High Skills Major programs allow students to focus their learning on a specific economic sector, while meeting the requirements to graduate from secondary school. Students gain sector-recognized certification and career-relevant training. The programs support the transition after graduation to apprenticeship training, college, university or the workplace. Peel board schools offer Specialist High Skills Major programs in the following area.
· Arts & Culture
· Business and Entrepreneurial Studies
· Construction
· Environment
· Health and Wellness
· Hospitality and Tourism
· Information and Communications Technology
· Justice, Community Safety and Emergency Services
· Manufacturing
· Non-Profit
· Sports
· Transportation
More options for Peel board students
· co-operative education programs provide workplace experience
· extended French starts in grade 7