WINTER2016

_____________

“STRIVINGTO BE OUR

BEST”______________

CaringHonesty

Encouraging and Inclusive

SharingTeamwork andCo-operationEnthusiasmRespect and

Responsibility

Caught on the spot

Happy New Year!

The start of a new year is traditionally the time of year to reflect, revisit and renew … an ideal time to revisit our Ellengale Mission, Vision and Values:

Our mission at Ellengale is to be an active learning community that encourages academic excellence and personal growth. We achieve this by demonstrating mutual respect through equity and social justice. Together we build the knowledge, skills and confidence to thrive as life long learners and responsible global citizens.

We share a common vision of a school that will be an inclusive and caring community of staff, students and parents fostering the intellectual, social, emotional and physical development of each child.

Caring, Honesty, being Encouraging and Inclusive, Sharing, Teamwork and Cooperation, Enthusiasm, Respect & Responsibility. These values embrace our philosophy which emphasizes social justice and global citizenship. Our school mascot, CHESTER the Cheetah, helps us encourage and promote these values.

Contact usPhone: 905-279-1555Fax: 905-279-2643

School Website:http://schools.peelschools.org/1376

Principal: Rhonda YoungVice-Principal: L. LetourneauOffice Manager: A. DuenOffice Assistant: G. HughesHead Custodian: R. Amante

Superintendent of EducationJamie RobertsonPhone: 905-366-8800Fax: 905-277-4131

Trustees:Robert Crocker (Wards 6 & 11)416-528-1312Sue Lawton (Wards 3 & 4)905-625-8084

Don’t Miss It!February 12 Report Cards come homeFebruary 15 Family DayFebruary 10/ 24 Pizza DaysFebruary 17 School Council MeetingFebruary 25 Chester Assembly:

9:45 am - SharingMarch 9/30 Pizza DaysMarch 14- 18 March Break

March 25- 28 Easter Holiday (no school)April 11 Professional Learning Day

A Warm Welcome to:Ms. Alice Duen, our new

office manager

And welcome back to Mrs. Maloney(Ms. Faulkner)

Grade 3C…and farewell to Ms.

Szeman

School SafetyThank you to our school community for working with us to establish safe guidelines for the use of our new bus turnaround. For the safety of all, please continue to reinforce with your children that they are to cross the bus driveway only at the entry ways where we have a staff member with a stop sign.

Black History Month At Ellengale

Mrs. Strong and Mrs. Coleman will take 4

Equity ClubIntroducing Ellengale’s new EQUITYclub! We are going to call it the S.A.F.E. club which stands for:

students to the Spotlight on Black Heritage presentation on February 11th . Those 4 students will share their learning with the Equity Club and then the members of the club will share with the rest of their classmates.

Lunar New Year/Maitreya Bodhisattva’s Birthday in Buddhism

February 8 commemorates the Lunar New Year. New Year's celebrations vary throughout East Asia.To all that celebrate “Gong Xi Fa Cai (Mandarin) and Gong Hey Fat Choy” (Cantonese).Celebrations at Ellengale will begin with our Lunar Parade on February 5th.

Children returning from recent illnessesNow that the cold weather has finally arrived we are beginning to receive requests from parents to keep children who are returning from recent illnesses indoors for recess. Physical exercise and fresh air are components of a balanced curriculum. When your child returns to school following an illness it is with the expectation that he or she is well enough to fully participate in all aspects of the school program. This includes outdoor times and physical education times. On some occasions students with specific medical concerns, outlined by a doctor, may be supervised indoors and/or excluded from physical education classes.

Students and Teachers Aligned For Equity. What is Equity? It’s quite simple really, it just means treating people fairly. That sounds important doesn’t it? The S.A.F.E. club, is made up of grades 5 and six students, and will be learning about some of the important ways that people can be different, like race, religion or gender. Sometimes, when people don’t understand, or know enough about these differences, they can treat people poorly. And we don’t want that to happen! Not at Ellengale, or anywhere!Although there are many reasons that people can be judged or treated badly, we are going to learn about seven ways that the Peel District School Board has chosen to focus on. We will be learning about Ableism, Ageism, Classism, Faith-ism, Heterosexism, Racism, and Sexism. We are excited to learn more about each other and how we can celebrate all the ways that we are different! Really, the whole idea of our equity club is simple...no matter who you are, let your true colours shine through!

Attention Kindergarten Families:It's time to register children born in 2012 for kindergartenWe inspire success, confidence and hope in each student…and it all starts in kindergarten! If your child was born in 2012, he or she can start kindergarten in September 2016.  You can register your child at any time during regular school hours—just visit the school between 8:30 and 4:00 any school day.Peel schools will also hold a Kindergarten Registration Week during Feb. 1 to 4, 2016. Visit Ellengale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2, 3 and 4 and from 5 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 4.

COUNCIL CORNER

School CouncilWho We Are and What We Do:The Ellengale School Council promotes parental involvement by providing a voice for parents. It consists of Staff and Parents who act as an advisory body to the school administration. We also coordinate fundraising activities to enhance the school experience for our students.When We Meet:The Ellengale School Council meets 5- 6 times a year on a Wednesday evening in the Library from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.

All Parents are Welcome to Attend! No Need to Sign Up, Just Show Up!

Why You Should Get Involved? Demonstrate to your children that you value their

education Develop leadership skills and share your talents Get to know people in your community Impact changes to the educational system Be aware of the programming at the school Know your principal Be a part of a team and help find solutions Express your family's values and traditions Stay in touch with your child and feel their pride

in your participation Fundraise for the extras and for the shortfalls Bring ideas and opinions and share your

concerns Welcome new families to Ellengale and our

community Have a voice in the allocation of fundraising

dollarsYour Participation Can Make a Difference!

Next meeting @ 6:00, February 17th, 2016

Peacemakers

Peacemakers are student leaders in Grade 5 and 6 who have chosen to make a difference here at Ellengale. They will be outside at recesses helping students with

Library Corner

Have you tried out “Tumble Books” yet?

This is an amazing web site which Ellengale has subscribed to for our students and their families to use. It has hundreds of books which you can enjoy listening to with your child. They are even available on iPod, iPad and iPhone. So, if you are able to connect to the internet, you can entertain your child in a fun and educational way, while waiting at the doctor’s office, riding on a bus or on the computer at the public library.

Just log on to www.tumblebooks.comClick on the” Library”. The username is Ellengale and the password is Books.

Enjoy!

PARENT RESOURCE CENTRE

Raising toddlers, teens or a child in between?Come and take a look at the books and resources to help parenting your child, available at the library.

Open every Friday: 9:00 - 9:30 am in the Ellengale School LibraryWide variety of books available for Ellengale families to sign outTopics include: raising a money-wise child, bullying prevention, educational play, emotional wellness and much, much more…

We will continue our Math Backpacks this year

Coming to your home soon……..Math Activity Backpacks to explorewith your children

Grade Six Leadership

After hearing a story called, Frindle, three grade sixes were inspired by the author’s messages which was that... no matter how old you are... anyone can make a difference. Shozib, Diana and Isha had an idea to

Parents And Teachers TalkingSessions continue to be informative and interactive. This year, we will be focussing our talks around the topic of Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion While Working Together to Keep our Students Safe and Healthy.

Stay tuned for more information and invitations to participate in these teacher led discussions that will take place during the school day.

Apply for Extended French by Jan. 29, 2016If your child will be starting grade 7 in September 2016, one of the important choices you will make is whether you want to consider Extended French (EF). To find out more about the program, visit www.peelschools.org/French

The application form for Grade 7 EF for the 2016-17 school year will be available online at www.peelschools.org/French as of Monday Nov. 23, 2015 at 1 p.m. The deadline to apply is Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 at 4 p.m. Applications received after the deadline will be placed on the school’s waitlist.The EF school for our area is Greenglade P.S.

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/.

Apply for French Immersion by Jan. 29, 2016If your child will be starting grade 1 in September 2016, one of the important choices you will make is whether you want to consider French Immersion (FI). To find out more about the program, visit www.peelschools.org/French The application form for grade 1 FI for the 2016-17 school year will be available online at www.peelschools.org/French as of Monday, Nov. 23, 2015 at 1 p.m. The deadline to apply is Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 at 4 p.m. Applications received after the deadline will not be included in the random selection process and will be placed on the school’s waitlist.The FI school for our area is Corsair Public School if you are East of Mavis Rd.; Springfield Public School for studentsts living West of Mavis Rd.Enrolment cap and random selection process As there is a grade 1 FI enrolment cap in place, there are a limited number of spots available for students entering the program. The cap is set at 25 per cent of all Peel students enrolled in grade 1.

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 posted as soon as possible at www.peelschools.org, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Peelschools, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/peelschools. You can also call in using 905-890-1010 or 1-800-668-1146.

Special technology offers for Peel board students, parents and staff

Does your child need a computer or tablet for school? Equity of access to technology is a key priority for the Peel board. That's why we've worked with a number of technology companies to offer discounted devices to Peel families and staff.

Renewed Computer Technology (RCT) offers low-cost, quality refurbished computers to families with a low-income. Qualified applicants can purchase: desktop for $60 laptop for $150

Prices include software, a two-year warranty and tax. For more information, contact RCT directly, call 905-795-0627 or visit their website at www.rcto.ca. 

Peel families now have access to the following exclusive offers from VIG Solutions: Intel Dual Core, 2GB, 160GB computer with a

17-inch LCD monitor -- $110 10-inch netbook with 1GB ram, 160GB hard

drive, Wi-Fi capability and Windows 7 -- $60. Taxes and shipping will be applied to product costs, and all items come with a six-month warranty.  To purchase products, visit www.refurbitstock.ca/peel and enter peelregion before proceeding.

MicrosoftMicrosoft offers reduced pricing on select products. For more information, visit http://pdsb.me/1X2RtMF.

Conference helps parents make a difference in numeracy and beyondThe Peel District School Board is hosting its annual parent conference on Saturday, April 2, 2016, at Rick Hansen Secondary School in Mississauga. Once again, the conference will focus on numeracy—25 out of 60 workshops help with math. Parents 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 1, 2016Stay up-to-date!For more information, look out for the conference flyer or visit: www.peelschools.org/parents/conference.