5120 Perennial Drive Mississauga, Ontario L5M 7T6 Phone (905) 569-6261 Fax (905) 569-8735 www.oscarpetersonps.ca Principal: Kerri Dunford Vice-Principal: Kimberley Daries Torrey Sleeman Office Manager: Allison Boodoosingh Office Assistant: Janice Hancock

OP NEWS

PLEASE FIND OUR OP MAY STUDENT CALENDAR (final page of newsletter)

Keep up to date with important Peel Board News Items by following Peel Board on Twitter @PeelSchools

Wanted! Library Volunteers! Do you enjoy working with children? Do you like organizing! If so, then we have a spot for you!

Must be able to work on a weekly basis for 3.5 hours! (9:05- 12:15 or 12:15 - 3:25). Main tasks include shelving books, checking in books and assisting students with checkouts as well as other odd jobs to help keep the library and school functioning! We have 2 spots available on Tuesday afternoon and Friday morning. You must have a current police check in order to be considered.

We are looking for adult volunteers to help with the school's Pizza Days (they take place once per month). The time commitment required would be 10:30-11:45 am, on the last Wednesday of every month. Please contact the office if you are interested.

We are also looking for volunteers to assist with Popcorn Days (these take place every Friday). The time commitment required would be 10:50-11:45 am on Fridays, but only

once every two or three weeks, as there is a rotation.

All volunteers must have a valid Criminal Record Check submitted to the school or the Peel District School Board. Parents or other adult family members are welcome to volunteer. If interested, please contact the office at (905) 569-6261. Thank you!

Follow us on Twitter! Our OP twitter account name is @OscarPetersonP2.

Safety at OP There is only one lane for our Kiss and Ride, the other lane is a through Lane in which cars MUST continue driving and park in the parking lot if there are available spaces or continue through and exit the OP lot and park in the overflow parking lot beside the school. If you are in this lane do not “cut” over to the Kiss and Ride lane.

Please know that we will be conducting three practise fire drills and one lockdown drill over the next few weeks.

Reminder: Please do not send any food items to school or your child’s classroom for any celebration i.e. birthday – thank you

School Council Update

A huge shout out and thank you to our fantastic Council members! Thank you Patrick Lim, Saira Qureshi-Wennekers, Leena Baig, Saleha Taj and Fida Khan for making a difference at Oscar Peterson! Please join us for our Spring Parent Information evening on Thurs. May 9th, 2019, 6:15-7:30. Our Peel Youth Community Officer, Constable Mackin. She will be sharing information and offering tips around "Pros and Cons of Social Media".

Music News You can USE!

MATH CORNER

Supporting basic computational skills in your child from a young age can help them develop confidence when approaching new math concepts at school. Below are come board games and websites that can be used to reinforce number operations and a positive attitude

towards math!

Board Games: Websites: 4-Way Count Down Sequence Numbers Sumoku Prime Climb

Physical Education

Spring is in the air and that means that the Phys Ed department is busy!!! Both grade 3 floor hockey intramurals and grade 4 Quidditch intramurals are in full swing and having a great time!

Thank you to all the students that tried out for the Gr. 4/5 soccer team, we had a talented group attend the evaluations and it was a very difficult decision. The team has now been selected and we are looking forward to a great day on May 14th when we host the

soccer festival for ourselves and 5 other schools.

Looking ahead, we will be holding try outs for both the cricket team and the track and field team next month. We look forward to seeing many of our grade 4 and 5 boys and girls showing us what they've got.

As the weather gets warmer, many Phys Ed classes are being held outdoors. Please ensure that both your child's indoor AND outdoor shoes are athletic running shoes so that they are always prepared and ready to participate safely.

As always we encourage you to get outside and get active with your kids. Family walks and bike rides are a great way to pull kids away from screens and connect as a family. Spring/summer is a fantastic time to try out a new activity like tennis, golf or even Bocce

Ball!!! (ask your kids how to play Bocce. We just finished a mini unit learning how).

Library News

Thank you to all the families who purchased books or other items at our spring Scholastic Book Fair. We sold over $6000 worth of books, etc... That is amazing and will help us to purchase more books to replenish our collection after the weeding that happened in March.. Weeding had not been done

since the opening of the school in 2005. The following are the reasons for the weed and why many of our shelves and spinners are now bare or containing very few books.

All library resources provided to our students and staff need to be accurate, appropriate and up-to-date.

Materials weeded are either in very poor condition or contain inaccurate information.

Some books are also missing Canadian content or contain biases that do not meet our Board's standards.

Many of our books had water damage which leads to mold.

Quality of material not quantity is an important factor in student learning.

Students should find materials in the library appealing, current, easy to access and user friendly.

Locating materials that are outdated, dirty or defaced helps to quickly fade their interest in reading and research.

Mrs. Springer has been replenishing the collection as best as possible and purchasing books that have been very popular with the students, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, Dog Man and much more. Students however are encouraged to browse through all the other books that are available as they

might find something new that they will enjoy.

A reminder that the library will be closing in June for our annual inventory. It is important that all books are returned. Students can log into their BYOD from home, click on the library icon and access their account from home. This enables them to see if they have any books checked out and if so, the due

date to return them. If your child will be moving on to a new school in Peel next year, their overdues will go with them so it is important to return the books or pay for their replacement so students can continue to check out books.

http://www.mathgametime.com http://www.math-play.com/

http://www.splashmath.com

What a busy time it has been in the music department. Spring Musical This year’s Spring Musical – ‘Kid Soup’ - was a tremendous success! Over 200 grade 2 – 5 students were involved –some singing, some stage crew, some acting and some playing instruments. Ms Stewart took the storybook – Boy Soup by R Muncsh and wrote the written parts. Congratulations to the 2/3 choir, 4/5 choir, Grade 4 Orff ensemble and the grade 5 Orff ensemble. We are so proud of you. Thank you to your commitment coming to practices and learning your parts! Grade 1 Extravaganza – Congratulations to ALL of the grade 1s who performed at our Spring Extravaganza concert on April 15th. They memorized over 10 songs and poems and performed them with enthusiasm and flare. Recital.- Congratulations to the 38 students who auditioned and participated in the annual OP Recital. We have many talented musicians at our school. This year, we had students play the drums, the guitar, the marimba, the violin , the ukulele and the piano. It was an amazing concert. Upcoming events: Music Monday –Monday May 6th. This special day was started 14 years ago in Canada, to celebrate the importance of music in schools and Music Education. Every 2 years there is a new song chosen for this event. How fortunate for us that this years’ song was written by Oscar Peterson. His song, ‘Hymn to Freedom’, which he wrote in 1962 was an anthem for the civil rights movement. The words are still so relevant today. “When every heart joins every heart and together yearns for liberty, That's when we'll be free.” There will be several activities for Music Monday this year. All students will be decorating a paper doll in a way that defines them. These will be put up around the school. As well , the school will sing the song at the same time. We are hoping to get a photo of the school population weather permitting too. Students are also making posters for this day re what freedom means to them and what kindness and respect looks like. Check it out: https://youtu.be/4ztIR5spwmQ Peel Choir Fest: The 2/3 choir and the 4/5 Choir are still practicing preparing for this non competitive festival on May 10th. OP is hosting for our area of Peel. Parents are more than welcome to come. We are hoping it will be outside- depending on weather. Children’s Orff Festival: The grade 5 Orff ensemble is heading by bus to the Children’s Orff Festival hosted by the Ontario Orff Chapter of Carl Orff Canada. The ensemble will be heading to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto on May 9th. This non competitive festival encourages Orff ensembles throughout the GTA to come to share their music. What is Orff you might ask? This is an approach to Music education which we use at OP : https://youtu.be/PfPQIeLHZq8 Other Activities:

- The Grade 5 Recorder Ensemble is busy learning 2 and 3 part music. They meet every Day 2 NB2. The

more the merrier.

- Students will be learning songs and dances for the Asian Heritage Assembly in May

- Please continue to encourage your children to share songs that YOU sing and play at home together.

WE love learning new music and sharing the love of music in our school.

In Song Ms Roy and Miss Stewart

Kindergarten News

Grade 5’s

Last month I went to the Living Arts Centre with my class to make clay masks. When we arrived there,

everyone in my class was really excited, and I was too. Shortly after, a lady walked down the stairs and

introduced herself as Alyssa. She brought us to our room where we made our mask. She gave us step by step

instructions( in French) on how to create clay masks. Then we all started to make our own masks. Since we

were learning about Indigenous masks, I decided to make my mask with a tribal theme. Some of my

classmates made animals. Making my mask was really fun, especially with clay because I like working on

small details, and forming shapes. However, my favorite part was making the nose because I made it very

long, and pointy. While I was still working, people started to clean up and then I realized that I didn’t have a

mouth or eyes for my mask. Therefore, I rushed to make them right away. Once I was finished, I put my mask

on a trolly with everyone else's and cleaned up the tools. Shortly after,we had lunch and then got on the bus to

return to school. This was a very enjoyable, and memorable experience for all of us.

After I made my mask, the staff who worked at the Living Arts Centre put it in the oven (kiln) so that it could

dry. About two weeks later, we received the masks at school. We all waited impatiently to paint them according

to our choice. Mixing the acrylic colors was really fun, but knowing how much to mix was a bit hard. In

conclusion, I had an amazing time painting and loved my final product. I am so proud of my clay mask. So if

you have the opportunity to make your own creation and paint something like this,…... don’t miss it.

Tyler Mah -

5 AF

Le centre d'arts vivants (Living Arts Centre) ! Notre excursion pour faire des masques autochtones Ma classe est allée au Centre d'arts vivants à Square One et nous avons fabriqué des masques autochtones en argile. Le masque pouvait être inspiré par un humain, un animal ou un astre. Les masques dans l’époque étaient très colorés, donc nous avons essayé de les rendre aussi colorés que possible lorsque nous avons peint nos masques. Tout d'abord, nous avons commencé avec une boule d'argile pour fabriquer la base de nos masques. Nous avons roulé l’argile avec un rouleau jusqu'à ce que l'épaisseur était à peu près de notre petit doigt. Lorsque nous avons fini de rouler l'argile, nous avons pris une éponge qui a été trempée dans l'eau et avons légèrement lissé notre masque avec l'éponge. Après, nous avons fait des décorations pour nos masques et pour les appliquer, nous avons utilisé cette méthode: gratter, mouiller, mettre. Une fois que nous avons terminé nos masques, ils étaient placés sur une étagère pendant 24 heures, puis, dans un four qui cuit l’argile, le durcit et le transforme en céramique. Quand nous les avons amenés à l'école, nous les avons peints avec de la peinture acrylique, car c'était le meilleur choix de peinture. Nous avons d’abord peint la base du masque avec un pinceau plus gros. Ensuite, nous avons utilisé des pinceaux fins pour peindre les détails sur le masque sans peindre l'arrière-plan par accident. Fabriquer nos masques était vraiment amusant de mon point de vue. Merci,

Carla Bulgaru ~ 5BF

Le « rangoli » est une forme d’art qui provient de l’Inde. Ces dessins décoratifs sont tracés sur les planchers de salons et dans les cours durant des festivals hindous. Ils sont faits pour accueillir les dieux et les dièses hindous. Ces symboles anciens remontent à des centaines d’années et sont transmis de génération à génération. Les motifs sont créés avec du calcaire, du riz coloré, de la farine sèche, du sable ou même des pétales de fleur. Les rangolis sont aussi appelés « alpona » Les civilisations anciennes de Harappan ont aussi fait des alponas.

On Sunday, April 14th, Sikhs around the world celebrate Vaisakhi. It marks the start of the Punjabi New Year, but is also a day to celebrate 1699 - the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith. Vaisakhi has been a harvest festival in Punjab, an area in Northern India, for a long time, even before it became an important holiday for Sikhs. In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh chose the festival as the moment to establish the Khalsa - the collective name given to Sikhs who have been baptized. The day is marked with celebrations and decorating with beautiful rangoli designs.

RANGOLI

Thank you once again to Mrs. Alam and her team (Ms. Fedderson, Mrs. Springer, Ms. Jacob, Mrs. Malcolm, Mrs. Karia, Ms. Stewart, Ms. Roy, Mlle Heersink, Ms. Cummings, Ms. Teal, Mrs. Kasturiarachchi and Ms. Finol) for a wonderful day! The designs are so pretty and many parents have commented on them as they picked up students. Thanks to those teachers who went out ahead of time or came early to draw designs for everyone.

Chess Tournament

Congratulations to the OP chess team for their wonderful performance at the CBO chess tournament last Friday. Akshath Suresh finished 5th out 81 in the Grade 4 tournament, and Nabhan Hassan finished 9th out of 150 in the Grade 5 tournament. We are all very proud of their efforts.

Congratulations to all performers last night. It was standing room only in the gym and everyone delivered. Special mention to our actors, Dylan, Aaron, Raya, Dhiya, Judy and Jude who out smarted our FABULOUS giant Mariam M. Well done Mariam, you were awesome as our giant! A special thank you to our teachers who stayed to help with the musical last night Mrs. Fallavollita, Ms. Morgan, Ms. Malcolm, Mrs. Shackleton, Mrs. Alam, Mrs. Tsay and Ms. Molinari. We couldn't of done it without out. Thank you for support of our performers. Thank you to Mme Zaytoun for lending a hand and making such wonderful props and with choir as well as Mrs. Jaster, Mlle Beckford and Mrs. Shackleton who also created props and Mrs. Fallavolitta for helping with the actors. Thank you to Ms. Morgan and Mrs. Randhawa for helping with choir attendance. Thank you to Ms. Roy for directing the 4/5 choir and the Gr. 4 and 5 Orff ensemble. A great big thank you to Ms. Stewart for directing the 2/3 choir and for writing the script based on the book Boy Soup by Loris Lesynski.

As I've said so many times since being the Principal of OP, we are truly in one of the best schools in Peel. Thank you grandparents tea cmtee members for the opportunity to 'make our OP grandparents' SMILE as they took in all we had in store for them this morning with their grandchild(ren). Once again a very memorable event for our community and students. Mrs Dunford

Oscar Peterson welcomed nearly two hundred grandparents on Thursday, April 18th, for our 10th Annual Grandparents’ Tea. It was lovely to see so many of our valued grandparents visit our school to enjoy tea and treats and then have an opportunity for a tour with their grandchild or grandchildren. Children welcomed their grandparents in a variety of languages as did our teachers. They were also treated to entertainment which included piano solos by Valerie Chung and Rhea Shergill, a guitar solo by Alma Hammour, songs by the classes of Mrs. Tsay and Ms. Finol, a song by Ms. Kasturiarachchi's and Ms. Heersink's class, a boomwhacking performance by some of our Grade 3 students and a video presentation on why our O.P. students love their grandparents. Oscar Peterson would like to thank the following businesses and people who contributed to our tea: The Real Canadian Superstore, Sobeys, Metro and Loblaw’s of Mississauga and Mrs. Poonam Gupta for their donation towards our tea supplies and Mrs. Martha McPhee of Maranatha Log House in Campbellville for the beautiful flower arrangements. Thank you so much to all the grandparents who joined us. We look forward to seeing all our beloved grandparents next year!

Recycling 800 Crayola Markers at OP

Students throughout our school have been collecting dried Crayola markers so that they can be re-used at

the Crayola factory in Ontario. This is a program that Crayola Canada initiated to reduce plastic waste in

North America. Our students collected, sorted, counted and boxed over 800 dried markers that will be

shipped off shortly. We are learning that 'recycling' means more than just using the 'Blue Box'.

Can you think of other ways to re-use and recycle household items? You could:

-return unwanted metal hangers to the local dry cleaner

-use egg cartons to grow seedlings for your garden

-donate old towels and blankets to the animal shelter

Great work keeping It GREEN OP!

ParentConnect

Online parent portal to access important student information

Last year, the Peel District School Board launched ParentConnect, an online parent portal to access important student information.

What is ParentConnect?

ParentConnect is a safe and secure website, created by the Peel District School Board, that acts as a single point to stay informed and to access all electronic services provided to Peel board parents and legal guardians. The parent-friendly website will allow you to:

view school-based alerts and information access real time absence reporting view current and historic elementary report card information get up-to-date busing information review secondary school credit history and diploma status and more

To learn more about the benefits of ParentConnect, visit our school website or www.peelschools.org/parentconnect

Keeping children safe in and around storm sewers, waterways Rising and fast moving water in lakes, ponds and creeks is increasingly likely during spring. Children playing in and around storm sewers and watercourses, entering storm sewers through the outfalls, and entering storm sewers through access covers is dangerous. The following information will help keep children safe: water flows in storm sewers and watercourses are unpredictable and may change quickly toxic gases may be present in and around storm sewers and watercourses access is restricted, making rescue attempts are difficult tragic falls could take place Please review this information with your children and let them know how dangerous storms sewers and waterways are.

Peel schools honour police officers during Police Appreciation Week The Peel District School Board will pay tribute to police officers by holding Police Appreciation Week from May 13 to 17, 2019. Peel students and staff will show their appreciation for the tremendous job being done by police to protect schools, homes and communities. Police Appreciation Week coincides with National Police Week. National Police Week pays tribute to the work of police officers across Canada. During this week, students, staff and parents in schools throughout Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga will honour the work of police officers and thank them for enhancing public safety and security.

Register today for Adult ESL or LINC classes Do you know an adult who is interested in improving their English language skills for work, study or daily life? Through the Continuing & Adult Education department, the Peel District School Board offers a wide variety of English language classes that help adult learners experience success in Canadian English in both listening/speaking and reading/writing. Courses are designed for a range of basic, intermediate and advanced English (Levels 1 to 8) as well as the more experienced learner needing to prepare for an IELTS exam.

Classes are ongoing - Register anytime. All learners who complete a session will earn a certificate of learning from the Peel District School Board. Certificates of completion at Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 and greater can be submitted as proof of language proficiency for Canadian Citizenship applications. Classes operate from six locations in Brampton and Mississauga with three specially designed adult centres at:

Bramalea - Adult Education Centre – Bramalea Secondary School, 510 Balmoral Dr, Brampton, Door #33

Brampton - Adult Education Centre - #300 - 7700 Hurontario Street, Brampton

Mississauga - Adult Education Centre - 100 Elm Drive West, Mississauga, Room 117

To learn more or to register, call 905-270-6000, then press 2

Also visit www.peelschools.org/adulteducation or follow us on Twitter: @PDSBLearnESL

Celebrating and Promoting Children’s Mental Health

Children’s Mental Health Week is happening May 5-11 in Ontario. It’s a time to focus on the important ways we can promote and nurture the mental health and well-being of our children.

Mental Health: A State Of Well-Being

Did you know that we ALL have mental health? It is more than just the absence of illness. Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to their community (World Health Organization). Indigenous teaching reminds us that mental wellness is a balance of the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional parts of ourselves and is enriched when individuals experience purpose, hope, belonging and meaning in their lives (First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework). A child’s mental health is just as important as their physical health when it comes to success at school, in friendships and in life.

Here are some key tips and strategies to nurture your child’s mental health and resilience from your PDSB Mental Health Resource Team:

Safe, responsive relationships between adults and children is our greatest tool for promoting positive

development and mental health in youth. When a child has consistent, caring adults in their life both at home and in the community, when they know they are loved and valued no matter what, and have someone trusted they can turn to when a problem arises, their resilience is bolstered.

Listen and validate feelings. Encourage children to talk about their thoughts and feelings, and show lots of love

and acceptance. Keep the conversation flowing by asking open-ended questions and spending quality time together at mealtimes and by participating together in activities your child enjoys.

Help Your Child Develop a Positive Sense of Self. A child’s self-perception is linked with their mental health.

Help them set realistic goals; praise them for effort as well as achievement by providing genuine, realistic praise. Foster positive connections with their cultural or faith community. A child with high self-esteem believes they are a good person, understands their positive qualities and strives for a successful, happy life.

Model and Teach Healthy Ways to Manage Stress. While it’s important to try to protect your child from

overwhelming or toxic stress, not all stress is bad. In fact, some stress helps us motivate and prepare us to perform our best, and there is bound to be some stress after a disagreement with friends or being cut from a sports team. Give your child the tools they need to cope with stress and big feelings in a healthy way: establish healthy habits including exercise, getting enough sleep and proper nutrition; practicing gratitude and deep breathing, journalling or talking with a trusted adult are just a few examples.

Notice Changes and Reach Out for Help. If you notice signs that your child feels sad or overly anxious about

normal situations like going to school or meeting new people, take note. A change in mood or behaviour that lasts more than two weeks, impacting social problems, academic issues or family problems could be sign of a mental health concern. Keep the lines of communication open with your child’s teacher and other caring adults in their life to discuss observations. Remember, there is no age too early for a child or family to see a mental health provider; in fact, it might benefit the whole family by providing resources and support to caregivers who may be struggling, too.

Where Can I Get Help?

At school, your child can reach out to their teacher, coach, guidance teacher or school administrator as a starting point, to talk about their mental health. Every PDSB school is also assigned Social Work and Psychology staff to provide consultation and direct service to students, and assist students and families to get connected to helpful resources in the community. In the community, visit www.WhereToStart.ca to access mental health services for children and youth in Peel. For a quick guide to mental health resources, visit bit.ly/PeelYouthResources.

For more tips on building mental health and resilience, visit bit.ly/ResiliencyTips

For updates and to follow along with the work of the PDSB Mental Health Resource Team, find them on Twitter @MHRTPeel. Adapted from Caring for Kids (2019) and Very Well Family (2018).