March Newsletter 2014

Learn, succeed … etudier, grandir General Lake Public School March 2014 www.generallakenews.blogspot.com Principal : Ms. D Legault Vice Principal : Mme M Robillard legaultd@rcdsb.on.ca robillardm@rcdsb.on.ca Twitter@debbielegault Have a Safe and Happy March Break **** IMPORTANT DATES **** March 10-14 March Break March 17 Happy St Patrick’s Day-Wear Green March 25 Grade 6-8 Science Fair 10:00am March 26 Healthy Snack Day 6:30pm Pinecrest School Council Meeting March 27 Grade 2-5 Science Fair 12:15pm March 28 Character Assembly: Kick off for Jump rope for Heart /Earth Hour: 12-1:00 April 05 Regional Science Fair April 09 We Day Ottawa Parent Volunteer Recognition Event April 10 Student Volunteer Recognition Event April 16 School Council 6:00pm April 17 Teddy Bear Hospital/School Wide Hat Day April 18-21 Easter Holiday April 22 Earth Day April 23 Secretary Day May 2 Jump Rope for Heart May 26- June 06- EQAO Primary and Junior Provincial Assessment Thanks to all families who came out to support our General Lake Birthday Party. Congratulations to the winner of the Petawawa Library book draw Juliette Fischer and Caleb Donihee A Wise Use Of Resources ________________________________________ Earth Hour At 8:30 PM on Saturday March 30th 2014, lights will switch off around the globe for Earth Hour and people will commit to actions that go beyond the hour. General Lake will create awareness of this event by turning lights out March 29th from 12:00-1:00 SCIENCE FAIR Students who participate in the science fair have the opportunity to research, investigate, and exhibit a topic of interest in science. Projects can be completed at home or in class, dependent upon individual teacher preferences. Students interested in participating need to register their project with Ms Legault by March 20. Parents and family members are invited to attend the Grade 6-8 Science Exhibition on March 25th at 10:00am and the Grade 2-5 Science Exhibition on March 27th at 12:15pm. Projects completed by students in Grades 6-8 will be judged by representatives from AECL. Projects from Grades 6-8 students selected by the judges will have the opportunity to enter the District Wide Science Fair at the Civic Centre on April 5, 2014. Grades 6-8 student should consult guidelines located at www.rcrsf.ca/home./policies Twitter @valourschool Valour K-12 School Update: Construction is on schedule and we are looking forward to the September 2014 opening of our great new school. As cold temperatures persist, we find ourselves engaged in our second semester classes. This is our final semester at General Panet High School as we will be opening Valour in September. Valour construction is on track and the building will be ready to accept all of our students this fall. When we open our doors it will be a new and exciting time as we embark on the journey that will allow our talented teachers to work with a child from their very first day of school until their graduation day 14 years later. Our new building and JK-12 model will allow us to provide a unique educational experience to allow all children in our care to strive and reach all of their goals. Our new school will have all grades in one building and the unique facilities of a secondary school (fitness centre, science labs, art room, music room etc...) for all grades to access to learn and explore. We will guide all students through the curriculum of their grade with engaging lessons that focus on the acquisition of knowledge and skill through inquiry and problem solving. Valour will truly provide a rich and diverse environment. At Valour we will have two schedules working at the same time. Our high school students will begin classes at 8:20am and finish at 2:30pm. Our elementary students (JK-8) will begin at 9:20am and finish at 3:40pm. We will stagger lunches and breaks so that our elementary and secondary students are not in the halls at the same time. During nutrition breaks, some of our elementary students go outside while others are eating, they will switch after 20 minutes. This type of scheduling keeps the number of students playing on the yard manageable and providing more space to play. Our JK/SK classes will have their own dedicated play yard. Valour will be an exciting learning environment that will provide all of our students with everything they need to succeed and learn. The Valour website will be up and running shortly and will be used as a conduit of information as we get closer to opening in September. March is Nutrition Month START YOUR DAY RIGHT March is Nutrition Month: Students should begin their day with a healthy breakfast. Nutritious lunches help fuel your child’s body and give them energy to get through their day successfully. Studies have shown students who eat healthy perform better academically and have less behavioural issues. Breakfast is often called “the most important meal of the day” for good reason! A morning meal helps refuel the body after sleep and contributes essential nutrients important for children’s healthy growth and development. Eating a nutritious breakfast will help children pay full attention and promote a healthy body weight. • Have a balanced breakfast everyday. • Choose foods from at least 3 of the 4 food groups in Canada’s Food Guide for a nutritious breakfast; such as a bowl of cereal with fruit and milk or whole grain bagel with peanut butter or cheese and fruit juice. • Plan ahead by setting the table the night before and wake up a little earlier if you find you run out of time for breakfast in the morning. STAY OFF THIN ICE AND ICE FLOWS With the warmer weather comes the melting snow. The ice on your local rivers and lakes is also thawing and breaking up. You should never go out onto a river or lake when it's frozen without your parents! NEVER go out on the ice at springtime, because you never know how thin the ice really is. Stay off! Stay safe! Volunteering for the Year end School Trip A Criminal Background Check(CBC) is required for all parents to assist with different activities in schools. If you are planning on helping in the school or assisting at the end of the year, please plan ahead. Forms are available at the front office Message from School Council http://www.generallakeschoolcouncil.blogspot.ca/ The General Lake School Council would like to Thank all parents for their participation in the General Lake Birthday Celebration on Feb 27th because of your positive response, the evening was a wonderful success. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our parent volunteers: Stacey Fullard, Maria Borzyak, Karen White and Rowana Brown for their assistance in making this event run smoothly. A special thank you goes out to the staff and student leaders who were able to provide the extra support and plan all of the activities for the night. The School Council was able to offer the Lasagna Dinner at a low price because of the support of Moncion's Grocers in Petawawa and because of your Moncion's Receipts. Please keep sending your stamped receipts. All profits from the dinner will be donated to the Yearbook to help reduce the cost for all students. We are looking forward to a busy spring including a Mom-to-Mom Sale and the continuation of our Hot Lunches on Fridays. If you are interested in helping with any of these events, please contact a member of School Council. Please join us at our next School Council Meeting, Wednesday April 16th at 6pm in the school library. Pinecrest and General Lake will also be having a joint meeting 6:30pm at Pinecrest on March 26th . All are welcome to attend to discuss how we can combine our fundraising efforts for Valour playground structures. Cross Boundary Transfers Due Each Year Please note that all cross-boundary students must complete a new CBT each school year. The Ministry of Education has capped class sizes. Therefore, students attending a school out of zone may be denied if numbers in a specific grade are at their maximum number. Class numbers need to accommodate students who live within the Valour zone. Students who live outside our zone can complete a CBT online at www.rcjtc.on.ca, with the exemption of French Immersion students. Moving? Posted? The year is quickly coming to a close and we are beginning preparations for next year. It is important that we know which of our students will be remaining at Valour K-12 School and which students are leaving the area. If you are posted, plan to move, or know your child will not be attending Valour K-12 School in September please inform the office. Should your child not be returning to Valour, it is important to keep your child’s records with you-do not pack them. Most schools require proof of birth, immunization records, recent report card and the name, address and phone number of last school attended. Habit of Mind for April What is ‘Perseverance’? “Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” Julie Andrews Basketball Teams Make us Proud Congratulations to our General Lake Girls and Boys Basketball Teams for demonstrating excellent sportsmanship during their recent Tournaments. Although the girls were not victorious, they played extremely well and held their own, losing by a narrow margin. The team players were Remi Lavoie,Sarah Stacey, Katherine Bobbitt, Jessica Parsons, Skylar Reed, Madison Liverance, Niomi Bowerman, Gabrielle McKenna. Congratulations to the Boys Basketball team, who despite their noticeable difference in height played their best and demonstrated excellent sportsmanship.The team players were Charles Osborne, MacKenzie Carter-Gorin, Kale Robbins, Aiden Baird, Connor Chalmers-Weins, Zach Reid, Samuel Shamess, Dante Hoffman, Ridge Chartrand, and Samuel Mahinpoor. Special thanks to their Coaches Ms. Hansen, Ms Bennett, Mr Blimkie and Mme MacPhee for dedicating so many hours to coaching both teams. You all make us very proud.!