Janet I. McDougald P. S. JANUARY 2015

498 Hartsdale Avenue, Mississauga, Ontario L5G 2G6 Phone: 905-278-1010 Fax: 905-278-4347

Trustee and Chair of the Board: J. McDougald Vice Principal: C. Murphy

Superintendent: A. Edwards Office Manager: M. L. Church

Principal: L. Culbert Office Assistant: I. Sokolova

We hope that your family had a safe and enjoyable holiday season and winter break.

It’s great to see all our students and staff back! The chilly start to our 2015 school year

has been made easier by the excited smiles of our students as they have returned to

school.

A new year signals a fresh start, a time for looking ahead and setting new goals.

Student reflection is an important part of Growing Success. We hope you will talk with

your child(ren) and discuss academic, social or learning skill goals. Maybe their goal

could be around skating or trying skiing! It could also be about attitude and effort.

Talk about strategies your child(ren) can use and how they will know if they have

reached their goals.

Our school climate is an important part of our teaching and learning. Janet I.

McDougald is a “mistake-making, laughter-sharing, independence-building, brain-

stretching, sort of place!” (http://growingfirsties.blogsport.ca). We wish you all a year filled

with mistakes and learning, and much laughter along the way.

Sincerely,

Laila Culbert Ciera Murphy

Proud Principal Proud Vice-Principal

January, 2015

Important Dates

Jan. Gr. 3-5 Skating

Jan. 19 P. A. Day—No school for

students

Jan. 26 Grade 4 and 5 Ski

Trip to Glen Eden

Jan. 28 Spirit Day: Pyjama

Day Gr. 1 Cooperation

Assembly

Jan. 29 Kindergarten

Report Cards go Home

School Council

Feb. 2 Grade 4 and 5 Ski Trip to Glen Eden

Feb. 5 Gr. 1-5 Report Cards Go Home

Feb 6 Movie Night

Follow us on

Twitter

@jmcdougaldps

Welcome to 2015! Many exciting things are happening in the

Library at Janet McDougald P.S. In November and December,

Grade 3, 4 and 5 classes spent their time in the Library

experiencing the exciting world of Augment Reality - pairing

print resources such as Brainspace Magazine and the Guinness

Book of Records, with apps such as Layar and GWR3D. We were

able to experience the tide rolling in at the Bay of Fundy, shake

hands with the world's tallest man and hunt for deep sea

creatures on sonar, all without ever closing our books.

January promises to be another exciting month. For the first few weeks, all classes

will be exploring Canada using a giant map that takes up the entire Library floor.

We will be using the map to ask questions and examine big ideas about this

amazing country. At the end of the month, we will be launching our Blue Spruce

and Silver Birch reading programs. Last year, almost every single student in the

school (more than 490 students) qualified to vote for their favourite book. Will we

be able to repeat this feat? Stay tuned for more details.

JANET I . MCDOUGALD P. S . PAGE 2

JMPS TECHNOLOGY NEWS!

Raz-Kids accounts have been set up for all students. Please ask your child’s teacher if your child does not remember his/her teacher username. Raz-Kids is a reading site that gives access to hundreds of levelled eBooks us-ing the school's subscription. Students can read and listen to books and take reading comprehension quizzes along the way to check their progress. Raz-Kids can be accessed online with a computer or laptop or via the app on a tablet (Android or IOS). Parents can sign up to track their students’ progress. http://www.raz-kids.com/

Prodigy math game accounts are set up for students in grades 1 – 5. Prodigy allows students to practise curriculum-aligned math skills at their grade level in a fun, fastasy setting. You can register with your child’s username and password to track his or her progress. Prodigy can be accessed by a computer, laptop, or tablet at https://www.prodigygame.com

Many classes use Bitstrips for Schools, an online comic creation tool. At this point, it is accessible online via a computer or laptop. http://www.bitstripsforschools.com. Teachers create secure classes and logins for stu-dents. Students can then create characters and comic strips and share them securely with their classmates. Please note that this is different from www.bitstrips.com which is an open forum where anyone can create and share comics to a public gallery.

“App Talk”

A great “Making Words” app is Chicktionary. Seven chickens each display an egg with a letter on it. The goal is to make words with the given letters. Fun animations make this engaging and educational for grades 1-5. Chicktionary can be accessed online or with a tablet.

Mad Libs is a good app for reviewing parts of speech (IOS tablets only). You might remember the Mad Libs books. Students are prompted to enter nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. The app then

takes the responses and puts them into a silly story. This is a great way to build literacy skills while having fun.

Did you know that all Peel students have a student email account? Email is accessed through byod.peelschools.org. Ask your child if he/she has logged in yet.

SCHOOL COUNCIL DATES & UPDATES

The School Council has been busy organizing events for our community. We had a fantastic time at the

Mississauga Steelheads game. Although the game was not arranged as a fundraiser, we were able to raise

$392.90 and have a great community event at the same time.

The Council also spearheaded our Fundscrip fundraiser which gave our families an opportunity to purchase

gift cards as gifts for the holiday season. This fundraiser raised $462.70

The school has used some of these funds to purchase picture books for the library and classrooms focused

on developing climate including our Peel attributes and growth mindset. We have also booked upcoming

anti-bullying presentations for the students.

Mark your Calendars!

Our next School Council meeting will be January 29th. Babysitting will be provided. Everyone is welcome

to attend and hear about school events. We will also be hosting a Movie Night on Friday, February 6th in

the evening. Mark these nights on your calendar and stay tuned for more details!

Register for French Immersion by Jan. 30, 2015 Are you thinking of registering your child for Grade 1 French Immersion (FI) for the 2015-16 school year?

Registration for Grade 1 FI for the 2015-16 school year is available online at www.peelschools.org/French

The deadline to register is Friday, Jan. 30, 2015 at 4 p.m. Registrants after that date will be put on a waiting list. The FI school for our area is Mineola P.S. The phone number is 905-278-3144.

How to get more information

Visit the Peel board website—www.peelschools.org/French.

Visit the Canadian Parents for French website at http://on.cpf.ca/.

JANET I . MCDOUGALD P. S . PAGE 3

Dress Warmly

All our students participate in daily outdoor play!

Snow and our great Canadian winter is here! It is important that you check the weather forecast and ensure

that your child(ren) are dressed properly so that they can enjoy the wintry conditions during outdoor play,

recesses and our 40 minute outdoor lunchtime.

Canada Safety Council recommends the following tips for staying comfortable and preventing hypothermia when working or playing outdoors:

Wear a warm hat—most body heat is lost through the head. Children should keep an extra hat at school.

Wear layered clothing. Layers allow warm air to stay trapped around the body.

Protect your feet and hands. Wear loose waterproof boots. If the boots have liners, carry an extra pair to replace damp ones or take an extra pair of socks. Mittens are warmer than gloves. Carry an extra pair of mittens to school, on outings, etc.

Prevent dehydration and exhaustion, which can lead to hypothermia. Drink plenty of fluids and pace yourself when doing vigorous activities.

Stay fit by exercising and eating well—people who are fit are less susceptible to hypothermia.

If you stay indoors, avoid moving from a hot environment to a cold one. Excessive sweating caused from an extreme change in temperature increases the risk of developing hypothermia.

Eat high-energy food such as nuts and raisins.

Conference helps parents make a difference in numeracy and beyond The Peel District School Board is hosting its annual parent conference on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at Fletcher’s Meadow Sec-

ondary School in Brampton. This year, the conference will focus on numeracy—25 out of 60 workshops help with math. Par-

ents will still have the opportunity to attend workshops on other topics, including literacy, special education and science.

This free learning event is open to Peel parents of students at all grade levels.

Registration opens February 2, 2015

For more information, look out for the conference flyer or visit www.peelschools.org/parents/conference.

Don’t be Late!

If you and your child(ren) arrive after the 8:55 a.m. bell, please bring them through the front door and into the office to receive a late slip.

Late arrivals not only have a negative impact on your child’s learning and social skills, but they also disrupt the rest of the class and school routines. Make a New Year’s Resolution and ensure

your child arrives before the 8:55 a.m. bell. Thanks!

COME JOIN OUR TEAM

We are hiring Lunchroom

Supervisors! If you are interested in

working in our school each day,

supervising our students from 11:55 a.m. —12:55 p.m.,

please contact Mrs. Murphy in the office at 905-278-

1010. We are also hiring supply supervisors.

It's time to Register Children Born in 2011 for Kindergarten

Register at Janet I. McDougald on Feb. 2, 3, 4 & 5

We inspire success, confidence and hope in each student…and it all starts in kindergarten! If your child was born in 2011, he or she can start kindergarten in September 2014. Registration will be held at our school from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 2, 3, 4 and 5 and from 5 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 5.

What you will need to bring to registration

Proof of child's age

Canadian birth certificate

Canadian passport

Citizenship card/certificate

Permanent Resident Card

Confirmation of permanent residence

Work permit

Refugee permit Proof of address

Ontario driver's license

Utility bill

Bank statement/client slip (directly from financial institution)

Credit card statement

Federal government forms (e.g. Social Insurance Number, Service Canada documents)

Purchase agreement

Proof of custody – children must live with their parent(s) unless provided documentation supports an alternate living arrangement

Proof of immunization – proof that your child has been immunized/vaccinated

Extended-day program for kindergarten students

Families have the option of enrolling their child in before and after-school programs developed by the Ministry of Education to comple-ment the full-day kindergarten program. These programs are run by qualified, experienced staff from our childcare partners. At registra-tion, we will ask families to tell us whether they are interested in the extended-day programs. The programs can only run if there is enough interest among families.

Important information about immunization

In order to attend school in Ontario, your child must have an up-to-date immunization record. When you register your child for school, you will provide copy of your child's immunization record and the school will send it to Peel Health. After registration, keeping your child's records up to date is your responsibility. Peel Health reviews immunization records regularly. Students who are not completely immu-nized and do not have a valid exemption may not be allowed to attend school.

For information about immunization, or to get a copy of your child's record call Health Line Peel at 905-799-7700;.

JANET I . MCDOUGALD P. S .

BUS CANCELLATION & CLOSING SCHOOLS DUE TO BAD WEATHER

Please try to use the media available to find out information about bus cancellations and

school closing in cases of bad weather. Information regarding details of cancellations or clo-

sures will be posted at www.peelschools.org. Information will also be available on Twitter

@Peelschools or @jmdougaldps, Facebook at www.facebook.com/peelschools or by calling

905-890-1010.

Information will also be one television (e.g. Citypulse, Global News, CTV) and the radio (e.g. 1050 AM, 99.9

FM, 1010 AM, 98.1 FM, 99.1 FM) .

Please try to avoid calling the school, unless you are reporting an absence.