Meezan School December 2014 Newsletter Page 1 of 4

Meezan School Newsletter – December 2014

Dear Families and Friends,

We had a busy November at Meezan School. Our bake sale was a great success. Thanks to our dedicated families, we raised close to $300 that will be used to support purchases for student programming and school supplies. Our Meezan Kitchen also offered biryani. Unfortunately, only three families provided food and, as a result, we were unable to meet the needs of our hungry students, staff, and community members. Next time, we’ll be looking for more cooks to contribute to this venture. The Meezan Kitchen offers great potential!

Our last day of school in 2014 will be Thursday, December 18. We wish all our families a safe and happy holiday, and trust that you will continue to support your children’s efforts to succeed at school by monitoring their reading and homework completion. See you again on Monday, January 5, 2015!

Opening Our Doors – An Opening Ceremony Due to unexpected early wintry weather, we have had to postpone the official opening of Meezan School. In spring 2015, we will provide an update on the official door opening ceremony that will include a tree planting and a visit from local, provincial, and federal government officials.

Safe Driving and Parking Please drive with caution in our school driveway and parking lot. Students tend to be inattentive when they are outside the building and may not follow safety rules. To protect our children, please do not drive in reverse. When you drop your children off in the morning, keep an eye open for youngsters and never drive in reverse. Instead, drive forward and make a safe U-turn in the empty spots at the rear of the school. Make sure your children enter the building right away. At dismissal, please come into the school to pick up your children. Remember: safety comes first!

Volunteers Needed! We need families to help with our programming and co-curricular activities – both during the school day and after hours. Please use the attached list to select the volunteer opportunities that best suit your family, and return it to the office. Volunteers make a difference!

Upcoming Events

December 11 Science Club

December 12 Bake Sale

December 17 Winter Festival

December 19 – January 2 Winter Holidays

Spring 2015 (TBA) Official Opening

Tree Planting Ceremony

Contact Us Meezan School 286 Water Street Guelph, ON, N1G 1B8 Telephone: (519) 265-0306 www.meezanschool.com

Meezan School December 2014 Newsletter Page 2 of 4

Proper Clothing for Weather Brrr! It’s cold outside! Meteorologists predict this winter will be as chilly as the last one. Please ensure that your children are dressed appropriately, as they go outside for recess on a daily basis. Students need to wear proper winter jackets and snow pants, gloves or mittens, scarves, and hats or tuques.

Uniforms – A Perfect Fit Our students look great in their new uniforms! Please remind your children to wear their uniform every school day, even on Fridays. If a student needs further assistance to obtain a better fitting uniform, please contact us at the main office. Additional uniform materials can be purchased online. Visit our website for more information and a link to our suppliers.

Steps to follow to order uniforms online:

1) Please go to the website: www.alaainc.com

2) Click on “Register”.

3) Enter your school code “10mso” and fill in the rest of the form with your personal information.

4) Log in using the same email address and password you entered when you registered.

5) Click on “uniform of my school”.

6) Proceed to place your order online.

7) Please pay online. (The order is not complete until payment has been made.)

or

You can also order uniforms from Old Navy or Children’s Place. Visit www.oldnavy.ca or www.childrensplace.com for details.

or

For a limited time, shirts can be purchased at the main office for $15.

Parents’ Council Parents interested in establishing and participating in a parents’ council should contact the main office to discuss your potential involvement.

Call Us at our New Number The school has a new, dedicated phone number: (519) 265-0306. Call us at this number if your child will be late or absent, or if you have any concerns.

In Our Community

Bake Sale Rafay, Grade 8

On Friday, November 14, 2014, the first bake sale was held at The Meezan School. It was a very excellent opportunity to buy home baked goodies and enjoy them in class or take them home to enjoy with our families. It was a very successful sale. Thanks to everyone for sending sweet goodies and money.

Adeel, Grade 7

The bake sale of the Meezan School was cool. I am glad for supporting it and I am excited for the Meezan Kitchen coming up next week. Dear parents, please support our Meezan Kitchen and any other events coming soon in this school year.

Meezan Kitchen Ammar Gangat, Grade 7

We were very happy with the first Meezan Kitchen’s biryani sale that took place on Friday, November 14, 2014. We loved hot, tasty and ready homemade biryani. A very special thanks to all the volunteers that helped with this event.

Meezan School December 2014 Newsletter Page 3 of 4

Bake Sale Mr. Abdool’s students will have their first bake sale on Friday, December 12.

Join the fun by bringing a special treat your family enjoys. Please ensure that there are no peanuts or tree nuts in this baking, as we have several members of our school community that have severe allergies. Please consider helping with this event, and contact Mr. Abdool if you are available.

Winter Festival Mark your calendars for Winter Festival! Students in all grades will be assigned to mixed-age groups to participate in a variety of exciting winter recreational activities. We hope to be outdoors enjoying the snow on Wednesday, December 17. If Jack Frost doesn’t cooperate, we have a plan for indoor fun.

Super Science Science is all around us! On Tuesday, December 9, students will explore the world of nature with experiments and other hands-on activities. Come prepared to learn and have fun!

After School Program In response to requests from a number of our families, we will be introducing an after school program to provide support to children who are unable to leave school at 3:15. Teachers will be available to provide additional help in classroom subjects to small groups of learners and on a one-to-one basis. If you are able to help our teachers with this new initiative, please sign up on the volunteer sheet (at the main office).

Inclement Weather Procedures As winter arrives, classes might be cancelled and the school closed if the weather gets particularly bad. Parents are encouraged to check our website on the morning, after 7:00am, for any notice of the school being closed. Meezan School will be following decisions made by the Upper Grand District School Board for Division 1 schools (Yellow).

Meezan School Events Calendar December 2014

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1

JK & SK Grades 3 – 5

STAR OF THE WEEK

2

Grades 3 – 8 Reading Buddies

3 4 PIZZA DAY

5

6

7 8 JK & SK

Grades 1 – 5 STAR OF THE

WEEK

9 Super Science

10 11

PIZZA DAY

12 Grades 6 – 8

13

14 15

JK & SK Grades 1 – 5

STAR OF THE WEEK

16

Grades 3 – 8 Reading Buddies

17 Winter

Wonderland

18 JK & SK Reading Buddies

PIZZA DAY

19

Professional Activity Day

20

21 22

23

24

25

Christmas

26

Boxing Day

27

28

29

30

31

Classes resume January 5, 2015