F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

February

Events

Black History MONTH

The weather

continues to be

COLD so please

remember to

wear your warm-

est clothes! Most

days we will be

going outside—

even if it’s just

for 10 minutes

so be ready!

Reminder

For Feb. Black History Month

Heart Health Month

Nutrition Month

National Sweater Day

Support our eco initiative!

2

PA DAY

Term 1 ends

3

School Council Meeting (6:00pm- 8:00pm)

Term 2 begins

6

Gr. 7 Immunization 8

Family Movie Night GEM

(at 6:30 p.m.) 15

Friendship Grams Week 13-

17

Term 1 Report Cards

Home

15

Int. Girls/BB @ SDHS 15

Int. Boys/BB @ SDHS 16

Family Day (No School) 20

Pink Shirt Day 22

Pizza-Round 2 ends 23

School Assembly –

Mrs. Mallinos 10:30 a.m.

28

Deer Park Digest “Make a Difference”

605 Varney Road, Keswick, Ontario L4P 3C8

Phone: 905-476-4185 Fax: 905-476-7648

Principal: Cathi Robinson Superintendent: Dianne Hawkins 905-895-5155

School Office Administrative Assistant: Kathy Scaini Trustee: Nancy Elgie 905-476-4184

Secretary (Mon./Wed.): Kelly Highet

School Website: http://www.deerpark.ps.yrdsb.edu.on.ca

A message from Ms. Robinson...

As we head into what is often the coldest month of

the winter, we remain optimistic that the groundhog

will not see a shadow, signifying spring is just around

the corner. It is important to remember that we go

outside for both morning and lunch recess. All

students who are at school are expected to

be outside, dressed in appropriate seasonal

clothing.

Term Two begins February 6th and students

are continuing to build their skills in a variety of dis-

ciplines. We are maintaining our ongoing focus on

math and literacy. Please ask your child on a daily ba-

sis what they have been learning. Sometimes children

can surprise us with their knowledge!

Students will bring home their Term One

report cards on February 15th. If you have

any questions about the content of the re-

ports, please speak to your child’s teacher.

If you have kindergarten age children (or

know of neighbours whose children were born in 2013)

please register them as soon as possible. This helps

us with our planning as we begin to look at next year.

York Region Mission: To advance student achievement and well-being through public edu-cation, which motivates learners, fosters inclusion, inspires innova-

tion and builds community.

P A G E 2

We

appr

ecia

te it

whe

n yo

u ca

ll an

d le

ave

a m

essa

ge if

you

r ch

ild is

goi

ng to

be

late

or

abse

nt. I

t sav

es u

s va

luab

le ti

me!

Message from our Trustee

We are now halfway through the school year. This is a good time to reflect on all

that your child has learned and to look at setting goals for the rest of the school year.

Our Board believes that student well-being and achievement go hand-in-hand. One

of our goals set out in the Board of Trustees’ Multi-Year Plan is to “continuously

increase student achievement and well-being through a culture of caring and learn-

ing.”

The Ministry of Education has recently identified four priorities for well-being:

positive mental health, safe and accepting schools, healthy schools, and equity and

inclusive education. As a Board of Trustees, we will continue to further work in all

of these areas to support student well-being in line with these priorities.

There are many resources on the Board website to help support student well-being,

including tips for talking about mental health, managing stress, packing healthy

lunches and addressing incidents of bullying.

Creating a healthy, safe and welcoming learning environment is key to helping our

students reach their full potential. All of us have an important role to play in creat-

ing an environment that enables our students to thrive.

I wish you all the best for a healthy, happy and successful 2017.

Another Eco Initiative from our Eco Team

Feb. 2nd is National Sweater Day! As an Eco

Silver certified school in YR we are supporting

this national event in our school by having our

Board turn down the heat for the day. If all

Canadians lowered their thermostats by just 2

degrees Celsius this winter, it would reduce

greenhouse gas emissions by about 4 megatons

– that’s equivalent to shutting down a 600 mega watt

coal-fired power station or taking nearly 700,000 cars

off the road!

http://schools.wwf.ca/GetInvolved/

P A G E 3

Wha

t’s H

appe

ning

@

Dee

r Pa

rk

SCHOOL COUNCIL CORNER

FRIENDSHIP GRAMS ARE BACK!!!

Again this year our Friendship Grams will be sold for $1 each as a

voucher that can be redeemed in exchange for a Tuck Tuesday item,

book or several other items that will be available.

A letter and order form was already sent home in hard copy. At the end

of this newsletter you will find a form that parents/guardians/students

can use to pre-order their friendship grams (a hard copy was also sent

home).

The orders can be sent in anytime between now and Feb. 17th.

Friendship Grams will also be sold during morning recess and de-

livered during lunch on Feb. 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and the final

sale is on the 17th. The School Council will be using the money

raised from this fundraising event to help support initiatives in

the school. Thanks!

On February 22, 2017 we encourage all of you (adults

included) to wear something pink to symbolize that we as a

society will not tolerate bullying anywhere. We wish we

could take credit for this idea but it comes from two

incredible Nova Scotia high school students:

“David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organized a high-school protest to wear pink in

sympathy with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied [for wearing a pink shirt]…[They] took a stand against bullying when they protested against the harassment of a new Grade 9 student by distributing pink T-shirts to all the boys in their school.

As they stood in the foyer handing out the shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face spoke volumes. ‘It looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders,’ Mr. Price recalled.

The bullies were never heard from again.”

Stand Up Against Bullying http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

Jericho Youth Services

Mission Statement To provide Georgina’s children and youth with recreational opportunities that enhance, social, emotional and physical development through affordable, accessible and safe programs. Free After School Program at Deer Park Public

School

Monday to Friday 2:45pm – 5:45 p.m. Ages 6 – 12

Homework Help

Fun Outdoor Games and Gym Games

Colouring / Craft Time

Healthy Snack

Classroom #16

Phone: (905) - 722 - 5540

Register Online at:

jerichoyouthservices.reckdesk.com

LICE IS NOT NICE!

Be Vigilant - Keep Checking for Lice and Nits

This has been a great nit year with very few cases having

been reported. Please support us

and continue to reduce the incidents of nits by

checking your child’s head weekly. Our school does not

have a team able to check heads so we ask all parents to

check their own child’s head regularly.

The New Healthy Smiles Ontario Program Free dental program for eligible children 17 years of age and under. Visit york.ca/dental for information about this new program and to find links to online registration.

Please Note

All parents/guardians must confirm their plans

with Jericho as to which days their child(ren)

will be attending. If your child is not going to

the program on a particular day when they are

usually expected, parents are expected to

contact Jericho directly and inform them of

the changes. Please note that student atten-

dance is managed by Jericho supervisors. If a

student has no note and there is no phone call

to Jericho, then for safety reasons, a student

will be directed to stay at the program that

afternoon and await parent pick up. We ask

that parents clarify with their children that

they don’t get to choose to go home just be-

cause they want to. Thank you for your dili-

gence with this safety concern.

We hope that our families will join us at the GEM Theatre on February 15TH at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are only $3 and are available at the GEM door on the night of the movie!

This month’s movie: SING (see flyer) We are looking forward to seeing some new faces at the next School Council Meeting!

Date: Feb 6, April 3

Time: 6:00p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Are you moving before next September? Is there someone

in your neighbourhood with first-time Kindergarten age

children? If so, please let us know as soon as possible. We

are currently projecting our student enrolment for Septem-

ber 2017. These numbers help us to organize our staffing.

It is important that we know as soon as possible whether

you may be leaving the Deer Park community before Sep-

tember. If there is someone with a 3 or 4 year old in your

neighbourhood who has not yet started school, let them

know that registration has now begun. If you know of some-

one moving into your neighbourhood with

school-aged children, we would like to know

as well. Thanks for your assistance in pre-

paring for the next school year.

Call our office with any information at

905-476-4185.

School Council Supports Family Movie Night @ GEM

Projected Enrolment

P A G E 5

Lost and Found Reminder

Our lost and found continues to be an active

location during cold wintery weather. We

encourage you to hound your children to

check for their missing belongings and a op-

portunity yourself to check the box when

you are in the school. Labels work wonders

and are certainly worth the time to ensure

your child’s belongings find their way home.

We are looking for additional school lunch assistants to help supervise students from 12:05-1:05.

If you are interested in this paid position, please contact the school.

LUNCH ASSISTANTS WANTED

Oral Communication

The language curriculum in all Ontario schools is organized into four strands: Oral Communication, Reading,

Writing and Media Literacy. Each strand is reported on twice.

Oral communication skills are essential to a child’s development in all areas of literacy, and for overall think-

ing and learning. Through talk, students communicate information, explore ideas and concepts, and solve

problems.

Oral communication skills include speaking (expressive language) and listening (receptive language). Listening

and speaking skills are essential for social interaction at home, at school and in the community.

To develop oral communication skills, students need numerous opportunities to listen and talk on a daily basis.

Research shows us that those students with strong oral communication skills go on to be stronger readers

and more fluent writers.

You can support the development of your child’s oral communication skills by having a conversation with your

child every day. Find a quiet place and talk about a hobby, a family outing or something you watched on televi-

sion. The following prompts can be used when your child is reading, to encourage your child to share his/her

thinking about the book.

Prompts to encourage your child to express his/her thoughts about their reading book:

Share with me what you have just read.

Talk to me about what you think may be happening (looking at a picture).

Does this remind you of anything?

Tell me what you are wondering.

What words would you use to describe that character? Tell me why.

The York Region District School Board welcomes you and your child to our education system. We are proud to be

one of Ontario’s top achieving school districts and to provide quality educational programs for all our students.

Kindergarten is a big step on the journey of learning and this is an exciting time for you and your child. We

strongly believe that forming strong partnerships with our parent community is a main factor in achieving success;

and encourage you to engage in your child’s education.

The York Region District School Board’s mission is to unite in our purpose to inspire and prepare learners for life

in our changing world community. We look forward to having your child join us and working with you toward his/her

success.

Children who will be 4 years of age by December 31, 2017 are eligible for junior kindergarten in September of 2017.

Kindergarten Registration packages are available at Deer Park PS in the main office .

Office hours for registration are from 9:00-12:00 and 1:15-3:30. Please bring the required documents to register

your child:

Proof of child’s age (one of the following: Birth Certificate, Birth Registration, Statement of Live Birth, Pass-

port)

Proof of residency (one of the following: Property Tax Assessment , Proof of Purchase, Rental Agreement,

Lease)

Full Day Kindergarten Registration

Learning Commons February News

Family Literacy Day

We hope every family had a chance to do something special for Family Literacy Day. Thank you for wearing or-

ange to school to show your support. The free book giveaway in the library was an awesome way to bring home

something new to read. Way to Go Chargers! Remember: Make “Family” time every day!

P A G E 7

DEER PARK HOUSE LEAGUE D.P.H.L.

The Deer Park House League is being enjoyed by many students at Deer Park P.S. We currently offer gym activi-

ties for Grades 1-8 students during first recess every day! Peer Leaders are organizing the games each recess.

Staff members are volunteering their time to chaperone our kids as they play games and get their hearts pump-

ing. It is a wonderful way for older students to gain leadership experience. Let the games begin!

Town of Georgina Healthy Schools Connection

“Take the Water Does Wonders Pledge

www.waterdoeswonders.ca

The Healthy Kids Community Challenge is all about helping Ontario kids make healthy choices. Our community is

one of 45 across the province chosen to be a part of this special project. That means new ideas and programs are

coming to our community - things that make it easier for kids to be active and eat healthy. These are the keys to

good health as our children grow up and become adults.

Get your refillable water bottle ready! The next Healthy Kids Community Challenge theme has been announced

as "Water Does Wonders". This theme runs from July 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017. The Water Does Wonders

theme encourages kids and families to drink more water. Water is essential for good health. It is also a simple,

convenient, and low cost option for quenching thirst. Participate in the Challenge by encouraging kids

and families to make water their first choice to drink with meals and throughout the day.”

https://www.georgina.ca/getting-active/recreation/healthy-kids/theme-2-water-does-wonder

P A G E 1 1

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T

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10

:30

a.m

.

Deer Park February 2017 Public School Initiative