A Message From Your Administrative Team

At this time of year, it is important to reflect on all of the things in our lives for which we are thankful. The spirit of giving and supporting is very much alive at Discovery P.S.! Once again this year, staff, students, families and community partners worked together to support the Hospital for Sick Children Toy Drive. Just before the winter break, students delivered over 200 new toys to the hospital. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this such a huge success! Your generosity has made a difference. We would like to officially welcome Mr. Alex Testa as our music teacher who will be covering Mrs. Lavine’s maternity leave. Mr. Testa is an experienced instrumental music teacher who has led bands, choirs and other Arts oriented groups in the past. We look forward to the engaging work he will do with our students both in and outside of the classroom. Winter has arrived! Please ensure all students come to school dressed appropriately for outdoor play. This would include: a warm winter coat, winter boots, a winter hat, and gloves and/or mittens. For younger students, snow pants are a great way to keep warm while being active in the snow. If you do not have access to these items for your child, please contact the school office for support. During this time of year, we like to remind families that it is a wonderful time to set goals for the year. When considering goals for the year, please think of academic goals as well as goals that would build on learning skills and character development. Setting goals at the beginning of each new calendar year teaches our students to be reflective and motivates them to strive to reach their goals.

Your Partners in Education,

Greg McClelland and Sherry Shahbod

Principal: Greg McClelland Vice-Principal: Sherry Shahbod

Superintendent: Becky Green Trustee: Anna DeBartolo

School Website: www.yrdsb.ca/schools/discovery.ps

School Address: 120 Discovery Trail, Maple, Ontario L6A 2Z2

Phone: 905-417-1622 Fax: 905-417-1612

The Banner

DISCOVERY P. S.

DISCOVER EDUCATION, DISCOVER YOUR FUTURE.

January 2015

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SCHOOL INFORMATION

Kindergarten Registration to Commence January 16th, 2015

Kindergarten registration will commence on January 16th, 2015 for the 2015-16 school year. Registration

forms are available on YRDSB’s website: www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca. Children who turn four or five years old dur-

ing 2014, live within the school boundary and whose parents are public school tax supporters will be eligible

to register for kindergarten. A kindergarten information session for parents is being planned for this spring. For

more information please visit the YRDSB website or contact your local

school.

BAYTHORN PUBLIC SCHOOL arts@baythorn

Would your child enjoy learning the Ontario curriculum through the Arts? If so, the York Region District School Board offers an Elementary integrated Arts program at Baythorn Public School. Students currently in grades four and five may apply for the arts@baythorn program, where they will have the opportunity to explore the disciplines of Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, and Music while meeting the expectations of the Ontario Curriculum for grades five, six, seven, and eight. To learn more about the arts@baythorn program, students and their families are invited to attend an informa-tion evening at Baythorn Public School on Thursday, January 15, 2015 @ 6:30 p.m.

Applications will be on line via the school website and available after January 16, 2014. www.baythorn.ps.yrdsb.edu.on.ca

Please call us at Baythorn Public School (905) 889-7992, if you require further information. Jacqueline Linton Jennifer Rosenberg Principal Vice-Principal

French Immersion Information Night January 16th

, 2015 Information sessions for the French Immersion (FI) program will take place at Elder’s Mills PS on January 15, 2015 at 7 p.m. FI registration will begin January 16, 2015. In order to streamline the registration proc-ess, parents or guardians of Senior Kindergarten students entering Grade 1 in 2015, and wishing to enroll in the FI Program, can visit or call the school office and request an Office Index Card - short version. The Office Index Card must be signed by the principal of the home school. Parents or guardians then take this form, along with one piece of identification showing their address to Elders Mills Public School to register between January 16 and February 13, 2015. This eliminates the need to provide duplicate enrollment information or to pre-register. YRDSB’s FI Accommodation Plan provides long-term consistency and equity of access to all students in York Region and will enable YRDSB to continue to offer the FI program to all who wish to enrol. The FI pro-gram will be offered in Dual Track or Single Track settings, in a variety of configurations. In order to meet community needs and optimize available space in our schools, a community's Grade 1-8 FI program may be provided over more than one school during the course of a student's FI education. This will allow flexibility in addressing community needs and the opportunity to use existing space in schools. More information is avail-able on the Board’s website: www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca. Please note: Some of the FI accommodation plans will require facility modifications or the development of new schools and will require short-term transition plans that might include overflow while we work toward the long-term vision. Overflow refers to situations in which the Board directs students to attend a school other than their community school or optional program for a spe-cific period of time, as defined in Policy #108.

SCHOOL INFORMATION

Page 3

SAFE PLAY In order to promote a safe and a respectful environment in our school playground, students have been told that the throwing of snowballs is prohibited. Students are aware that snowballs may contain pieces of ice and rock and that they can cause injury to others or damage school property. Students observed throwing snowballs will be sent to the office. Subsequent inci-dents will result in parent conferences and may result in suspension from school. We are con-cerned with student safety and must be firm in the treatment of this activity. Please review the school policy and the letter attached, with your child, and avoid upset-ting consequences.

SCHOOL COUNCIL CORNER Our next School Council Meeting will be January 21, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the library. Please join us at the Council Meeting .

Walking to school doors As the winter weather has returned, students and parents should be aware that our caretaking staff clear a path leading to all student entry/exit doors. This allows for safe passage for students entering the school yard from the front of the school or the rear walkway. As many may be aware, the board does not plough the entire tarmac area of the school yard, but clears a path for students. Our caretakers do their best to extend the pathway ensuring the doors have clear access for students. We do not, however, clear the town walkways leading to school property. De-icing products are used near doorways, while sand is used for other icy patches that develop. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the office.

INDOOR SHOES

Students are reminded that they MUST have indoor shoes to wear in the class-room. This ensures that classrooms re-main as clean and comfortable as possi-ble, especially during the wet, muddy and snowy season.

We usually see a number of wet students during the winter. It’s a good idea to send in an extra change of clothes in your child’s backpack, so that we won’t have to disturb parents at work or home.

MOVING

Believe it or not, it is that time of year that we are planning for September 2015. If you will not be attending Discovery P.S. in September, please notify the office as soon as possible.

Extreme Weather Conditions

All students are expected to go out for every recess unless the principal or vice-

principal decides that weather conditions are such that it would be detrimental

for students to be outdoors. Students are to come to school dressed for outdoor

play and prepared to be outdoors up to 40 minutes after lunch. Weather, includ-

ing temperature, wind chill, sun/cloud conditions and wind velocity, is continu-

ously monitored and in extreme weather conditions, recess breaks may be short-

ened or students kept indoors.

During the cold months of winter, students should be dressed appropriately for

weather conditions:

Bring a change of clothes, including socks, in case a change is needed due to

wet and cold weather

Dress in layers of loose-fitting clothing

Cover and protect exposed skin from the harsh elements

Boots, hats, scarves, snow pants and mitts or gloves will help make recess an

enjoyable time

If road conditions force the cancellation of bus services, the following stations

will be informed as early as possible, and will broadcast pertinent information to

the community.

RADIO

640 AM CHAY 93.1 FM NEWS 680 AM CHIN 1540 AM CJEZ 97.3 FM

CJBC 860 AM CHUM 104.5 FM CHFI 98.1 FM CFRB 1010 AM CKDX 88.5 FM

CKFM 99.9 FM CHUM 1050 AM CBC 99.1 FM CHIN 100.7 FM JACK 92.5 FM

Q107 107.1 FM Z103.5 FM CJCL 590 AM CJKX 89.9 FM 95.9 FM

TELEVISION

CFTO TV CITY TV GLOBAL NEWS A-CHANNEL THE WEATHER CHANNEL

You can also visit www.schoolbuscity.com or contact the York Region Student Transportation Services

School Bus Information Line at 1-877-330-3001 for bus cancellation information.

Page 4

Page 5

Grade 5 Trip to Queen’s Park

Written By Filza, Sahil, Rayan and Farhana

On December 1st, the Grade 5s of Discovery PS had an opportunity to visit the

Ontario Legislature in downtown Toronto. First, we did a mock debate in the mini

chamber to help us understand what happens during parliamentary sessions. We

debated whether schools in Ontario should have uniforms. After that, we learned

how a bill becomes a law

and the role of different government members in the 3 levels of government

(federal, provincial, local). We learned how important it is to vote. Finally, we got

to go to the real chamber and watched parliament in session. We weren’t allowed

to talk at all! The MPPs shared information from their riding and they also intro-

duced a new bill. There were even Grade 7 and 8 students (called Pages) who

helped out in the chamber session. It was a good experience to see how the gov-

ernment works!

Discovery Toy Drive A Message from the Junior Peacekeepers Club …

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Discovery’s Annual Toy Drive for Sick Kids Hospital

DPS’s annual toy drive was held from December 1st through the 10th. It is held in

memory of Anthony Tran, a Grade 6 student who passed away in 2010. This year, ap-

proximately 200 toys were collected by students, families, and staff. On December

12th, members of the Junior Peacekeepers Club took the toys down to Sick Kids Hos-

pital. Hospital staff were very appreciative of our schools’ efforts and wanted to thank

everyone for their donations. After dropping off the toys, the students enjoyed an after-

noon of skating at Nathan Phillips Square!

KINDNESS COSTS NOTHING– JANUARY AWARD RECIPIENTS

Class Teacher Student

JK/SK MRS. HAGLE Arthikha R, John G

JK/SK MRS. NAQVI Jasper Z, Aadil R, Aairah A

JK/SK MS. BAILLIE Sarah A, Boran B, Bao Minh D, Richea L

JK/SK

MRS. ANTONEL Varsha G, Ayman A,

COMMUNITY

CLASS

MR. MUSHARBASH Samuel A

GRADE 1

MRS. BAE Karen A, Gabriel N, Asmitha K, Aizah S

GRADE 1 MRS. ABAL Salma A, Izaiah S, Sarina H

GRADE 1 MRS. MAHESHWARI AND

MISS. KONSTANTINOVA

Rebecca B, Rachel L, Dylan N, Gurshaan Gill

GRADE 1/2 MRS. DI RITO Aaron L, Dante V, Thevesha K

GRADE 2 MISS. WALKER Trisha P, Gitika R, Aryan B, Senon J

GRADE 2/3 MISS. JEDDI Farzana K, Tyler N, Ivy H

GRADE 2/3 MRS. BALSMEIER Amtul H, Kevin P, Ashley T, Faran C

GRADE 3 MRS. ROW Hina A, Affan A

GRADE 3 MRS. KARAMETCH Adin L, Rachel X, Fateha A, Randy N

GRADE 3/4 MRS. REGAN Chehan W, Shirley L

GRADE 4 MS. LEGG Shahzeen K, Tibbisha P

GRADE 4 MS. KALOGRIS Kaleb T, Mahrukh K, Arsh B, Raymond L

GRADE 5 MRS. TINO Andrew A, Attia T

GRADE 5 MISS. KORDIC Ronniel G, Tobi A, Mano U, Sikander K

GRADE 5/6 MISS. MADILL Natalie R, Filza A, Gabriella S, Vincent N

GRADE 6 MS. RUTLEDGE Rateeba A, Dua T, Romeo C.A, Aazib P

GRADE 6 MRS. CINGOLANI Sofia A, Mason C, Mikka W

GRADE 7 MR. STRAUCH Rebar D, Bogdan H, Sarina R, Rakina S, Navjot S

GRADE 7 MISS. WAXMAN Rachel C, Kevin D, Kelly L, Anushi B

GRADE 7/ 8 MRS. HAN Amtul Q, Thanujan N, Shawnzay B

GRADE 8 MS. GIORDANO Selwyn T, Dermana T, Iram C

GRADE 8 MRS. TUCKER Imtiaaz K, Matiyar B, Aislinn V, Dhruv M, Elvis L

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5

Back to School

6 Dental Screening

JK/SK, Grade 2, 8

Gr.8—Maple High

Drama Day

7 Pizza Day

Gr. 8 Presentation

(Career Cruising)

Eastern Chrsitmas

8

Dental Screening

JK/SK, Grade 2, 8

9 Lunch Lady

10

11 12

13

14 Pizza Day

Immunization Gr. 8

Girls

15

16 PA Day

No School

Kindergarten

Registration Begins

17

18 19 20

21 Pizza Day

School Council 7pm

22

23 Lunch Lady

24

25

26 27

Jr. Mixed Volleyball

Area

28 Pizza Day 29

30 Lunch Lady

31

January 2015

The Newsletter in its entirety will be posted on-line at our website and sent to our contacts via email. Please, go to our website

(www.yrdsb.ca/schools/discovery.ps) to opt into our contacts list.