THE MCKINNON PIPER

Trustee: Ms. Nokha Dakroub Follow us on twitter nokha.dakroub@peelsb.com @mckinnonps Fall 2016

http://schools.peelschools.org/1318/Pages/default.aspx

FALL NEWS!!!

Our first couple of months this school year have been very busy and it’s hard to believe November is just around the corner. This school year our student population has increased from last year and we have added two classes into our organization. This year all our portables are occupied with grade 5 classes. Unfortunately, this increase in enrolment has forced us to close down our dedicated music room. Music is now taught in the students’ homerooms. Progress reports for students in grade 1-5 will be coming home on November 11th and interviews will be arranged for all students K-5 the week of November 14th. Friday November 18th is a PD day. With regards to special events and fundraising, a big thank you to the community as we raised over $1500 for cancer research with the Terry Fox walk. This month is the annual United Way drive so please look for communication around that. Information will also be coming home around our plans for Halloween and parents are invited to attend our Remembrance Day assembly on Friday November 11th at 10:45 AM. Our results from our 2015-2016 EQAO Grade 3 assessment are as follows: Students working at a level 3 or 4 in Reading 84%, Writing 89% and Math 79% . These results are a snap shot of our current grade 4’s and help provide the staff with valuable information we use with our School Improvement Plans. While we just publish the scores for Level 3 & 4 students in Reading, Writing and Math, as a school we have access to much more data that is very useful. Our school focus this year will continue to be in the area of mathematics. We will focus on critical thinking skills in all curriculum areas, including mathematics. Teachers will also be focussing on how students communicate their thinking in math in all grades levels (K-5). You will be able to learn more about what math looks like in school at our annual Math Night for parents coming up on December 15th, 2016. As always, we are here if you need us and we look forward to seeing you in the months ahead.

Ken Diana Anjali Tshering Principal Vice-Principal

STUDENT RECOGNITION AWARDS McKinnon P.S. is a caring place to be. The following students demonstrated collaboration, communication and personal growth in many ways and have been honoured with our monthly Student Recognition awards. Congratulations to the following students:

Lujain A. Lana O. Hamza A. Zaina A. Sheraz S. Aarij A. Yousef A. Rida B. Emi R. Aariz A. Murtaza A.A. Yusra F. Misk A. Haad W. Zeina S. Adam J. Hussain K. Shawaiz A. Aries Y. Rayaan A. Youssef E. Katie N. Fatema Y. Mathew C. Krisha T. Maariya A. Zara T. Thin Vuong N. Ian W. Ariya S. Yashica T. Anna S. Abdi A. Seif J. Aseel E. Mahad Q. Sarah A. Vishrut T. Hannah T. Aidan L. Alhassan A. Ammar K. Andrea A. Joshua Z. Logan L. Issac H. Subhan A. Daniel B. Lucas M. Atul B. Jonathan H. Belinda Z. Shayna S. Iffah S. Mazen E. Jasmine C. Yousif Y. Abdullah H. Tyler H. Tariq K. Naveen A. Michelle T. Aditi M. Maria K. Mohamed A Ziad A. Insha I. Nuha A. Loai A. Aleesha C. Justin R. Omar E. Jackson B.

ATTENTION NEW VOLUNTEERS We value parent volunteer at our school As indicated in the Safe School Policy of the Peel Board, parent volunteers new to McKinnon P.S. will require an interview by Mrs. Tshering at which time a Criminal Record Check Form (CRC) will be provided to take to the Community Police Station. Please come into the office to schedule an appointment. Once you receive your CRC form, please submit it directly to Lisa Cruickshank at the Peel District School Board, 5650 Hurontario Street, Mississauga, ON L5R 1C6. There is also a McKinnon Volunteer Form found on the school website that needs to be completed and returned to the school.

TERRY FOX WALK

McKinnon P.S. Northstars participated in the 10th annual Terry Fox Walk for Cancer Research on Friday, September 30th. Together our school community raised over $1,500.00! Thank you to everyone who donated so generously to this worthy cause.

FAMILY LITERACY PROGRAM talk.read.play.sing!

The Family Literacy Program is for families with children aged 0 – 6 years. Families come together for story times, snack, and activities. Research from the University of Toronto has shown this program makes an impact to a child’s Early Literacy skills along with their family’s support. The program, which is held on Thursday nights, has already begun. For more information, please call 905-791-1585 x 7222 or visit our website at www.peelregion.ca and click on Child Care.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Birthday celebrations in our classrooms is an important part of your child’s school experience. We do have many routines and activities to commemorate this special day for your child and

his/her classmates. Due to our peanut-free policy, could you please not bring in food items, particularly doughnuts, or store-bought cookies and/or cakes as they may contain nut oils, sesame seeds, sesame seed oil, food colourings and other ingredients that may be harmful to

many of our students. Some items that students love are: • Fancy pencils • Fancy erasers • Decorative paper and/or note pads • Word Search books • Loot bag items

All the above items are inexpensive and can be purchased at any dollar store.

OR

You may donate a book to the classroom library. A commemorative plaque will be installed inside the book to honour your child and thank them for their generosity while promoting the love of reading!

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Junior students will be presenting at our Remembrance Day Ceremony this year. Please join us on Friday, November 11th at 10:50 am in the gym. Poppies will be available for students to wear. The poppy is worn on the left front of the person’s garment closest to the heart in remembrance of those fallen. As well, with a donation

of $1, students can print their name on a poppy that will become part of a huge community wreath displayed in the McKinnon Foyer. These donations assist our veterans with medical equipment and long-term care facilities. During the week of November 7th – 11th, students can watch the wreath grow in time for our assembly. We invite you to attend this solemn occasion and suggest that young children are better left at home with a care-giver.

CCAT TESTING

The Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT) continues to be administered to Grade 4 students in Peel who meet the testing criteria. The C.C.A.T. tests measure academic potential for comprehending academic teaching in the classroom and is a valuable source of information. C.C.A.T. testing at McKinnon will take place between November 7th – 18th.

PARKING LOT

Just another reminder to please not park in our lot either before or during the drop off in the morning. Our parking is very limited and our staff need to be able to park in our lot during this time. Thank you for your co-operation.

YOUR CHILD’S PROGRESS REPORT

Your child(ren) in grades 1-5 will receive a progress report card on Friday, November 11th and as in past years, this report will be followed by the traditional Parent-Teacher Conferences where you may discuss your child’s progress with their classroom teacher.

These interviews will take place on Thursday, November 17th and Friday, November 18th. Parents of Kindergarten students in both Year 1 & 2 will be invited for a parent observation

in January. Kindergarten students will receive a report in late January or early February. There will be no interviews scheduled for Kindergarten students.

THE GIVING TREE As part of our Caring values and Grade 5 Pioneer Leadership at McKinnon, the Grade 5 students are taking on a leadership role in building supportive communities by collecting donations for families who are experiencing some challenging circumstances. These donations will be forwarded to the Salvation Army Food Drive. The community is invited to share the spirit of giving this season by placing donations of non-perishable food items under the Giving Tree between December 1st

to December 22nd. We also invite parents and students to send in new hats and mittens to donate as well as decorate our tree in the foyer. Help us to help community

members in need and support this month’s school-wide theme of Building Supportive Communities during the Festival of Lights. We recognize that many of our own families are experiencing difficult circumstances in these fiscal times in Ontario. Please let Mr. Diana or Mrs. Tshering know if we may assist you directly before we forward the donations to the Salvation Army. Please be assured that any such request would be handled in a confidential manner. In order to support our community further, the staff requests that, in lieu of “a present for the teacher”, donations be sent to place under the tree. The staff would accept appreciatively any “home made” card, notes, etc. from the children, as an alternative to gifts, if your children wish to express special thoughts in some way.

LUNCH TIME

Please ensure your child has a lunch every day before coming to school. If you are dropping off a lunch for your child, please have it here no later than 11:15 A.M. Lunch is eaten from 11:25 to 11:55 A.M. Bringing in a late lunch impacts your child because he/she doesn’t have a chance to eat and socialize with their friends. Packing a lunch the night before helps with the morning routine and ensures that your child has a lunch.

STUDENT TRANSPORTATION OF PEEL REGION (STOPR) STOPR is responsible for administering the transportation policy for the Peel District School Board and for planning and implementation of the transportation for all eligible students within Peel Region.

Contacting STOPR: STOPR operations are divided into 3 defined zones, East, West and Special

Needs Transportation. The East and West zones manage all regular home to school busing for all of Peel Region and the dividing line between these zones is generally Kennedy Road. When calling into the STOPR office for school bus information, please make sure that you have your child’s Ontario Educational Number (OEN) available. The OEN number can be found on your child’s report card or is available from your school. STOPR staff will ask for your child’s OEN to ensure your child’s personal transportation information is secure and is shared only with the appropriate person. Telephone contact: (905) 890-6000 (East, West and Special Needs Transportation) Toll free: 1-800-668-1140 STOPR Web Site: We recommend that you take a moment to review our web site as it is available to you 24 hours per day 7 days per week at: www.stopr.ca Also, if your child’s bus is late, please check the website for any delays or cancellations.

Safe Arrival System Beginning Sept. 6, 2016, the Peel District School Board will implement a new automated absence reporting system for all students in its elementary schools. All parents/guardians will need to report their children’s full-day absences, late arrivals and/or early departures from school via a new SafeArrival system before 8:30 A.M.

SafeArrival will allow you to report your child(ren)’s absences quickly and conveniently in one of three ways: 1. You can call into an automated, interactive telephone system via a toll free number—1-855-209-6155. 2. You can log into a website, pdsb.schoolconnects.com, to access a SafeArrival Parent Portal.

An account can be set up to report absences. 3. You can download the SafeArrival mobile application for Apple and Android devices.

Parents are encouraged to provide an email address to schools. Starting the week of August 29, parents who do not have an email address on file at the school can visit pdsb.schoolconnects.com and choose CREATE LOGIN to create your account and receive login credentials. These login credentials are needed to login both online and with the mobile app. Parents need to have a cell phone that is capable of receiving text messages to complete the setup process. The cell phone number must be on file with the school.

Please report your child’s absences before 8:30 A.M. Late arrivals and/or early departures should be reported as soon as possible.

Benefits of using SafeArrival include: • Phone, website and mobile app options are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. • You can report your child(ren)’s absences in advance (e.g., doctor’s appointment). • Keep phone numbers and email addresses up-to-date.

If your child’s absence is not reported in advance, the automated notification system will contact parents to inform of a student’s absence and will provide an opportunity to verify the absence. The automated notification system will contact parents/guardians at multiple contact numbers until one of the designated contacts is reached. If our automated system is unable to reach a designated contact, office staff will follow up. By reporting your child absent in advance, using the SafeArrival toll-free number, SafeArrival website or SafeArrival mobile app, you will not receive a call.

THERE IS NO LONGER AN ABSENCE REPORTING PHONE LINE AT SCHOOL. As always, if you have any questions or require any assistance, please contact the school.

Peel schools, students and staff recognize and honour First Nation Land daily At the Peel District School Board, everything we do is designed to help each child achieve to the best of his or her ability. The board recognizes that encouraging, inclusive and respectful environments help students achieve to the best of their ability. As part of this important work, at the Regular Meeting of the board on Sept. 30, trustees approved that the following statement will be played/read each school day at all Peel schools and all board-hosted events prior to the Canadian national anthem: We would like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation.

The acknowledgement recognizes Indigenous heritage and the importance of the land that we are located on. In addition to helping build awareness about one of our local First Nation communities, the acknowledgement also honours the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action about honouring Indigenous people’s historical and contemporary contributions to Canada. Students in all Peel schools will learn about the importance of the acknowledgement through lesson plans produced in collaboration and partnership with the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation through the use of the Sacred Trust resource.

Visit McKinnon Public School’s website

http://schools.peelschools.org/1318/Pages/default.aspx

McKinnon Public School

Want to keep up to date with what’s happening at McKinnon P.S.? Check out our school website where you'll find:

• the latest school news • contact information for school administration, superintendent and trustee • calendar • enrolment data • school hours • mission, vision and values • registration information • printable forms • frequently asked questions • volunteer information • EQAO reports

Keep up to date with our website subscription service

Our new website also features a subscription service where you can sign up to receive email notifications for school news, calendar events and volunteer job opportunities. You can also choose to be notified via email and/or text message for critical news, such as school closures due to bad

weather. Click on the subscribe link on the left-hand side of the main page of our website.

Subscribe to receive news from the Peel board Take advantage of our electronic subscription service to automatically receive updates from the Peel District School Board. Subscribing is easy just visit our website at www.peelschools.org and click on the subscription link under "Quick Links." 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 at www.peelschools.org and www.stopr.ca. You can also subscribe to receive:

News releases Keep up with the news at the Peel board. Subscribe to receive Peel board news releases to learn more about board news and school events.

Board agendas Learn more about Peel board meetings by subscribing to receive agendas. Meetings of the board are open to the public and are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month.

Board highlights Briefing is a newsletter with highlights of decisions made by trustees at board meetings. It is sent out on the second and fourth Thursday of every month and immediately following any special board meetings. Job postings for non-teaching staff Learn about each new non-teaching job that is posted on the Peel board's Job Board.

Follow us on social media Social media is the easiest and fastest way to stay connected to the amazing things happening in the Peel District School Board. Follow @Peelschools on Twitter to: • learn about our schools and programs • find out if buses are cancelled during bad weather • share the Peel smile

Follow @Peelschools on Instagram where we share

motivational and inspirational #PeelProud moments.

Follow Peel schools on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/peelschools.

Our school is on social media too!

Follow us on Twitter @mckinnonps .

Regional Learning Choices Programs offered by the Peel District School Board empower students by providing them with opportunities to develop and explore skills in a particular area of interest. Regional programs are open to all students who meet the criteria for acceptance. Students and their families are encouraged to attend the information night for the program of their choice to receive more information about the program and application details.

Transportation is not provided for students in regional programs. If students have been accepted into a regional program and they live within the school boundary, they are eligible for busing only if they meet the distance criteria outlined in the board’s Transportation Policy #39.

All regional programs include annual fees, including an $40 application fee for all regional programs. The application process for secondary regional programs opens Nov. 9, 2016. Application dates for middle school programs vary from school to school. Programs Starts in grade: 6 7 9

Actively in Motion (AIM) – Royal Orchard MS

Advanced Placement – Central Peel SS, John Fraser SS

Arts – Earnscliffe Sr. PS (starts in grade 6), Queen Elizabeth Sr. PS (starts in grade 7), Cawthra Park SS, Mayfield SS

Arts and Technology – Morning Star MS

Graphic Design Management – Gordon Graydon Memorial SS

International Baccalaureate – Bristol Rd. MS, WG Davis Sr. PS, Erindale SS, Glenforest SS, Harold M. Brathwaite SS, Turner Fenton SS

International Business and Technology – Allan A. Martin Sr. PS, Lisgar MS, Williams Pkwy Sr. PS, Gordon Graydon Memorial SS, Meadowvale SS, North Park SS

International and Executive Leadership Academy – TL Kennedy SS

SciTech – Centennial Sr. PS, Macville PS, Tomken Rd. MS, Chinguacousy SS, Port Credit SS

Sports – Applewood Heights SS

Strings – Central Peel SS, Port Credit SS

Truck and Coach Engineering and Technology – Bramalea Secondary School

A number of other specialized programs that extend beyond the regular curriculum are available to Peel high school students. Learn more: • Co-operative Education Program • Dual Credit Programs • Explore High Skills • Extended French/French Immersion

• Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program • Peel Region High Performers Program • Regional Co-operative Education Programs • Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Programs

For more information about program information nights, busing, fees and the application process/dates, contact the school or visit www.peelschools.org/RegionalPrograms.

Train More. Rehearse More. Learn More. New Peel District School Board program offers flexible school options for student athletes, artists

Does your child/teen have an intense sports or arts training and competition schedule that makes it difficult to attend school regularly? The Peel District School Board’s new Peel Region High Performers Program will offer flexible timetabling to accommodate student athletes and artists with demanding practice, competition, rehearsal and/or performance schedules.

Peel Region High Performers Program will open in September 2017, and will be offered at: • Britannia Public School (grades 4 to 5) • Dolphin Sr. Public School (grades 6 to 8) • Mississauga Secondary School (grades 9 to 12)

For more information and a program flyer, visit www.peelschools.org/HighPerformers

Oct. 26 – Celebrate Peel Teaching Assistant and Early Childhood Educators’ Appreciation Day In 2014, the board of trustees declared the last Wednesday in October as the Peel Teaching Assistant and Early Childhood Educators’ (ECE) Appreciation Day. This year, the recognition day falls on October 26, 2016. The Peel board appreciates the important work of teaching assistants and ECEs, and the contributions that they make in the lives of children, families and community members.

Tips For Being A Smart Trick-Or-Treater Halloween is a fun and exciting time, but safety should be the number one concern. Here are some safety tips for children:

1) Wear a properly fitted costume that is bright and non-flammable. Use reflective tape on your costume so you can be seen in the dark.

2) Use face makeup or enlarge the eyes on your mask so you can see well. When wearing a mask, push it up on your head while walking.

3) Teach children to visit the front door of well-lit homes and never go inside. 4) Help your child plan a route and a time to be home. 5) Remind children to always walk on the sidewalk, and obey traffic and pedestrian signals. 6) Have an adult check treats at home before allowing children to eat them. 7) Younger children should go trick-or-treating with an adult. Older children are reminded to trick-

or-treat in groups. 8) Teach children their home phone number and how to call 9-1-1 if they have an emergency or

become lost.

Peel board launches new Plan for Student Success 2016-21 In August 2016, the Peel District School Board launched its new Plan for Student Success, a set of four goals that will guide decision-making during 2016-21 to help us achieve our mission to inspire success, confidence and hope in each student. Each goal, listed in no particular order, is key to student success. High Expectations for Achievement: Set high expectations for staff and students to ensure all students achieve personal excellence. Parent, Community and Staff Engagement: Engage staff, parents and communities to support student success. Equity and Inclusion: Achieve inclusion for all through our continuous progress on equity. Safe, Positive Healthy Climate/Well-Being: Build safe, positive, healthy climates for learning and working to nurture student and staff well-being. More information about the Plan for Student Success will soon be available at http://www.peelschools.org/aboutus/ourgoals/