General Lake School Council Annual Report for the 2012-2013 School Year

 General Lake Public School 1900 Borden Avenue Petawawa Ontario K8H 2T6 Phone: 613-687-2404 / Fax: 613-687-2405 

 General Lake School Council 

Annual Report for the 2012-2013 School Year 

June 17, 2013 

Dear Parents and School Community: 

The General Lake School Council had a very rewarding 2012-2013 School Year. The School Council held 10 meetings: September 17th, 2012 - October 10th, 2012 - November 14th, 2012 - December 12th, 2012 – January 16th, 2013 - February 13th, 2013 - March 20th, 2013 - April 17th, 2013 - May 29th, 2013 and June 12th, 2013. The Council worked on various issues during the year including: anti-bullying; the importance of recess; healthy hot lunches; ways to better informed parents; improving teacher and parent communication; building our Community; children’s mental health and ways to keep School Council informed by sharing information from the Ministry of Education, the Renfrew County District School Board, the Parent Involvement Committee, the People for Education and the Ontario College of Teachers. These meetings were open to the public to encourage input from parents and other members of the school community. 

The purpose of the School Council is to help improve students achievement and to enhance the accountability of the education system to parents. School Councils are advisory organizations. A School Council’s primary means of achieving its purpose is by making recommendations to the Principal of the school and the School Board. Boards and Principals are responsible for considering the recommendations made by each School Council and for advising the Council(s) of the actions taken in response to the recommendations. 

Additional achievements of the School Council in 2012-2013 included the following: Open house with partners from our community; School Council Blog; a name for the new k-12 school; healthy hot lunch program; creation, distribution and collection of the 'Get Involved' school volunteer forms; After School French club; Dr Seuss literacy evening; Education Week Celebration; Jeremy’s Vision presentation to Junior/intermediate students; information session on 'Anxiety in Children' and 'Temperament and Goodness of Fit' ; student volunteer luncheon with certificates; bulbs donation to the Memory Garden in Pembroke in memory of former teacher Barbara Grant and the End of School Year celebration 

Fundraising activities were also conducted, and the proceeds were used to fund projects in accordance with School Board policies. The School Council raised funds for: technology, school trips, cultural performances, graduation, and butterfly kits. The fund-raising activities included: hot lunches, compliant with the Ontario School Food And Beverage Policy (PPM150); Lamontagne 2012 catalogues; Christmas Gift and Craft Show; and Spring Vesey’s Bulbs. Minutes of meetings held and financial records are available for public inspection at the school office. 

We wish to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the many individuals who volunteered their time to contribute to the success of the School Council this year. Special thanks to the following members of the 2012-2013 School Council: Sarah Perras, Adelle Bemister, Lindsay Allan, Karen White, Guylaine Lapierre, Stacy Godin, Erin Morawiec, Rowana Brown, and Jennifer Wiertel. Also a special thank you to our Principal, Lizanne Lacelle, our Vice-Principal, Deborah Legault and all the Staff for their continued support and partnership. Finally, we wish the best of luck to the candidates in the 2013-2014 School Council elections. Election date to elect new Executives will be Wednesday, September 18th 2013 at 6:00pm in the school library. We encourage everyone to attend. We hope that you will all have a safe and happy summer. 

Sincerely yours, 

Claudia Major General Lake School Council Chair 

General Lake 2013-2014 Parent Handbook

General Lake Public School

Parent/Guardian Information

                                                Table of Contents

Principal’s Message

Safe Arrivals Information

Emergencies/Medication

Electronic Devices

Newsletters

Agendas

Transportation       

Clothing                

Daily Schedule/Recess    

Student Success   

Homework

Student Behaviour

Visitors

School Culture    

We’re Working With You!

All of us at General Lake Public School are dedicated to providing a stimulating, creative and supportive atmosphere in which your children can mature into competent, responsible and caring citizens.

As your children progress through school you are bound to have questions about their education. This handbook is designed to respond to the most common questions, please keep it for quick reference. Contact the school at any time with questions, suggestions, and ideas.

As a parent, you are the foundation of your children’s education and I encourage you to be involved with our school community and school council.  We welcome your participation and involvement.

                                                              Deb Legault, Principal

                                                              legaultd@rcdsb.on.ca

1900 Borden Avenue, Petawawa, ON         K8H 2T6               613-687-2404

Board website: http://www.renfrew.edu.on.ca

School Blog: www.generallakenews.blogspot.com

Safe Arrivals

In order to ensure the safe arrival of student to school each day, we are required to make contact with a parent or guardian for any student that is absent. Please call the school secretary to report your child’s absence each day that your child is not attending school. It is also helpful to call if you know your child will be late as he/she has an appointment. You may also call before school hours and leave a message on our voice mail @ 613-687-2404

Regulation 298 section 23 (2) states that when a pupil returns to school after an absence, a parent or guardian of the pupil shall give reason for the absence orally or in writing as the principal requires.

A note in your child’s agenda would suffice in this circumstance as would a phone call to the secretary.

   After School Pick-up

 When call to have your child picked up after school, please call the school before 3:00 pm.

Emergency Procedures

In the event of an emergency, it is absolutely critical that everyone in the school knows what to do and responds automatically. In order for this to happen, time is spent regularly reviewing and practicing the unforeseen. We have school-wide fire, evacuation, and lockdown drills to ensure that students are aware and comfortable with the appropriate procedures. Parents will be contacted directly in the event of an emergency evacuation.

Medication

Any student requiring medication (self-administered or by the school) must obtain a permission form from the office. All medications are kept in a locked location at the office. Students with severe allergic reactions carry an extra inhaler or Epipen with them. Students needing to carry inhalers or other emergency treatment preparations must have written permission from the office using the standardized forms. Parents should give all other forms of medication at home. DO NOT send medications to school with your child. Medical bulletins are posted in the staff room for all staff to be aware of students with potentially life-threatening medical conditions.

Newsletters/School Blog/Sunday Night Message

A newsletter will be sent home on a monthly basis with the children of each family in our school. The newsletter will contain information concerning events in the school, recognize outstanding work in and out of the school by students, inform parents of classroom programs or policies which may be of interest, and provide a showcase for some examples of student work. Every Sunday Night a message is sent out to our General Lake Public School Community informing parents of the p and coming events for the week.  All information is also posted on our school blog at: www.generallakenews.blogspot.com

Electronic Devices

All electronic devices are permitted to be used at school provided students/parents have reviewed the guidelines for appropriate use, as outlined in the Renfrew County District School Board Policy and Form 141-1, Appropriate Use Contract for Students, has been signed. The school is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items.

Agendas

In September, all students from grade 1 to 8 will be asked to contribute to purchase a school agenda book to help them organize their day. These day planners will help you to plan your child’s time and assignments. All students are expected to use them for recording homework and for home-school communication. Please review the agenda daily with your child.

Student Transportation

Student transportation is a privilege, not a right. If necessary, the privilege of riding the bus may be suspended.

Responsibility for the safety of bus passengers rests not only on the driver, but also with the student riders, their parents/guardians, and school staff. Bus rules should be reviewed at home and at school to ensure that routines are established. Students, whether daily or occasional riders, are expected to observe these rules:

Ø Be at the stop 10 minutes in advance of scheduled pick up time to keep the bus on schedule.

Ø  Wait off the road until the bus comes to a full stop.

Ø  Wait for the go-ahead signal from the driver and look both ways before crossing the road.

Ø  Obey promptly any direction or instructions given by the driver including the allocation of seats.

Ø  Remain seated at all times.

Ø   Keep aisles clear of belongings and do not leave articles on the bus

Ø  Use indoor voices to avoid distracting the driver through excessive noise or unreasonable behaviour

Ø  Keep arms, head and feet inside the bus.

Ø  Stay with the bus in case of road emergency

Ø  Assist in the safety and comfort of small children

Ø  Be respectful of the bus and any of its equipment.

Ø  No eating or drinking while on the bus

**Buses are not to be used for the purpose of transporting children to birthday parties and sleepovers, etc. It is the parents’ responsibility to provide such service. Bus Passes are issued for emergency situations only.

In the event of inappropriate behaviour, the following procedures will be followed:

The school bus driver will seek the cooperation of a misbehaving student.

If the student refuses to cooperate, the school principal/vice-principal is informed by the driver.

The principal/vice-principal will inform the parent and the student will be given consequences accordingly.

Drivers inform the office of misconduct, and repeat offenders lose the privilege of riding the bus. Students, who damage the bus, other than through regular use, will be required to pay for repair costs.

Please discuss the rules and regulations with your children in the interest of safety for all children!

Bus Cancellation

During severe inclement weather conditions when buses may not be running, please listen to the local radio station MY FM 96.1 or STAR 96.7 FM or check the website (www.rcjtc.on.ca) in order to determine if buses have been cancelled.  If the bus does not pick a student up in the morning to take them to school, it will not be bringing him or her home. On such days, our regular academic programs may not be offered; however, an alternate program will be provided.

 Dress Code

 Clothing worn by student at General Lake Public school must be appropriate for active play and presentable for the school as a work place. The dress code developed by the school council and the Renfrew DSB states:

·         Students are expected to attend school in neat clean tidy and modest clothing

·         Indoor and outdoor shoes are required.

·         No hats or caps in school

·         Shorts and skirts are to be thigh length when seated.

·         Shirts must cover the midriff.

·         Sleeveless shirts are acceptable but must follow the “three finger rule”.

·         Any clothing with depicts advertising for drug, tobacco or alcohol products, rude pictures or vulgar 
      expressions or graphics is prohibited

·         Footwear must be appropriate

·         Scented body sprays, perfumes or cologne are not to be used.IF ATTIRE IS QUESTIONABLE IT IS UNACCEPTABLERecognizing the dangers of cords and drawstrings, we recommend the use of neck warmers rather than scarves.

Indoor shoes

Students are required to have of indoor shoes for use inside the building. Stocking feet are strongly discouraged for reasons of health and safety. During inclement weather traffic in the hallways often leaves the floors wet or muddy. Fire drills are practiced three times in the fall and spring; students cannot take time to put on outside shoes. This pair of indoor shoes could be your child’s gym shoes.

     Label All Belongings

Each year an incredible amount of clothing including hats, mitts, t-shirts, coats, boots etc. are misplaced. We have a lost-and-found area located by the front entrance but many of these articles are never claimed. We urge parents to write their children’s name or initials on their belongings and to check the lost and found area at the front entrance whenever they are visiting the school. Three times a year (December, March and June), we wash and recycle some items and send the rest to community charities

Daily Schedule

Classes begin at General Lake at 9:20

Ø  Instructional Block 1

Ø  Nutrition Break 11:20-12:00

Ø  Instructional Block 2

Ø  Nutrition Break 2:00-2:40

Ø  Instructional Block 3

                                             Classes end at 3:40

Nutrition Breaks

·         Avoid all nut products as our school is a nut-reduced facility. 

·         There are two opportunities for students to eat during the school day: mid morning and early afternoon.

·         Students are to bring healthy food each day. Milk (white or chocolate) is sold each day at nutrition breaks. Students are expected to remain on school property during Nutrition Breaks.

·         All food is to be eaten in the classroom. No food is to be eaten outside. “Garbage-less” lunches are encouraged.

·         Students are expected to remain seated while eating and leave their spots to tidy at the end of lunch. Carbonated soft drinks are strongly discouraged.

·         Students are not allowed to leave school grounds to go to the Canex for lunch.

Outside recess

Students enjoy a break from the morning and the afternoon routines during which time they can get some fresh air and enjoy recreational time with their friends. All of us are better able to work after a short break.

Students are expected to dress for the weather and be prepared to spend 20 minutes outside enjoying the benefits of the fresh air, exercise and socializing with friends. Students will be outside unless the weather is too inclement (i.e. temperatures below -20⁰C or raining too hard) to be outside.

Teachers occasionally receive notes requesting that a student stay in for recess. Students who return to school after a brief illness also benefit from recess. Fresh air and exercise are not detrimental to individuals recovering from the flu or a cold, especially when a student is properly dressed for the weather. Parents can help by encouraging their children to dress appropriately for the weather and allowing children to bring appropriate and labeled play equipment (footballs, soccer balls, skipping ropes), so that they have something to do and enjoy with their friends.

An ill child risks spreading the condition to classmates, and should remain at home until well enough to participate in regular school activities. There are exceptions to this practice. In very special cases, (i.e. a child recovering from physical injury), a child may need to stay inside for his/her safety. We do however; expect our students to participate in nutritional breaks.

Homework can be sent home with a sibling or friend.

During inclement or extreme cold conditions, we have indoor recesses.

Indoor Recess

When students must remain inside due to inclement weather, they are expected to remain in their classes, use indoor voices, find a quiet activity (board games, reading, colouring, cards etc.), and remain seated either on a chair or on the floor. Students are required to have a ask permission to leave the classroom for any reason.

Helping your child Succeed at School

You are the first and most important teacher your child will have throughout the learning years. The examples you set will help determine your child’s attitude.

For instance, if you enjoy reading and the sharing of ideas, your child will probably enjoy these activities as well. Display confidence in your child’s abilities, strengths or special talents. Set goals that are realistic and attainable because the self-confidence developed at home can be extremely helpful in building self-confidence in school and the outside world. Family experiences (i.e. visits to parks, museums, historical sights, trips, picnics, workplaces) are all opportunities to help stimulate your child’s skills in thinking, recall and verbal development.

When your child begins school, your role as an educator does not suddenly end, and your child will need your encouragement and will be more motivated if you take an interest in school work. Close contact with the teacher(s) is helpful, because you can provide valuable insights and support for your child’s development.

Visiting General Lake School All visitors must sign in and obtain a visitor’s pass at the office prior to going anywhere in the school Visitors are not allowed on the school yard without informing a staff member on yard duty. Visitors picking up students for appointments or after school are required to remain at the office and allow the child/ren to be paged by the secretarial staff Visitors are asked to respect the school dress code by dressing appropriately and removing hats/caps upon entering the building.

Promoting Positive and Winning Students:  A Positive Learning Environment

Students are expected to:

• Use polite and respectful language and actions towards all members of our school community
• Work and play cooperatively and safely (hands-off rule)
• Behave in a non-aggressive manner (both physical and verbal)
• Use problem solving skills to talk through conflicts
• Be honest
• Use active listening skills
• Attend classes regularly, punctually and be prepared to work
• Dress in an appropriate fashion

Range of Consequences for Inappropriate Behaviour

• Warning
• Counseling
• Time-out
• Detention
• Loss of privileges
• Referral to Principal or Vice-Principal
• In-school suspension
• Out of school suspension
• Violent incident reported to police

Defining our school’s culture

Defining a school culture is setting the school environment apart from other cultures: home, hockey, business, etc. There will be some similarities but there will also be differences. The staff of General Lake is committed to making conscious decisions to examine what we value, clearly communicate these values and expectations to our students and then model what these are to the students. Students are expected to use appropriate actions within our school community.

Respect

Students are expected to:

ü  Show respect to themselves and all others in the school. This includes all personal and school property. Students should treat others the way they want to be treated.

ü  Cooperate with and  follow directions given by bus drivers, volunteers, custodial staff, office staff and teachers in the school, on the yard, on the bus and during field trips/functions.

ü  Be friendly and courteous with all members of our community.

ü  Be honest and accepting of others and their differences.

ü  Wear appropriate clothing according to the school dress code and remove hats when entering the school.

Safety

All students must feel safe at school. Students are expected to:

ü  Play responsibly and respectfully. Physical contact, rough play, bullying, put downs and teasing are hurtful and will not be tolerated.

ü  Walk in the school in a quiet and orderly manner

ü  All electronic devices are not to be used on school property.

ü  Students must remain on the school property at all times unless they have specific permission to leave.

Responsibility

Students are expected to:

ü  Demonstrate personal responsibility for learning.

ü   Complete all tasks to the best of their ability

ü  Be on time for class, prepared with materials they will need.

ü  Use school equipment responsibly

The above policies have been put in place for the safety of all children attending General Lake Public School.

Lockdown at General Lake

As with many schools and buildings in Petawawa, General Lake Public School experienced a lockdown on Friday, June 28th.  It was fortunately a PA Day so no students were in the building. Renfrew County DIstrict School Board continues to offer support services to address any adverse effects of the experience.  We would like to thank the Emergency Response Services for their quick response and support; as well as a thank you to Valley Transportation and the Civic Centre for accommodating our needs, as we evacuated the building. Thank you to the community for the outpouring of concern for our welfare. 

We will continue to refine our lockdown protocol for the new school year as we continue to make safety the NUMBER ONE priority in our school.

June newsletter

Learn, succeed … etudier, grandir

General Lake Public School

June 21, 2013

www.generallakenews.blogspot.com

Principal: Mme Lizanne Lacelle                       Vice-Principal: Ms Deb Legault

1900 Borden Ave, Petawawa   K8H 2T6   613-687-2404

Dear GLPS Parents:

It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing my retirement.  My years at General Lake were fulfilling and I will have many sweet memories from here.  Although I am looking forward to the next stage of my life, pursuing my hobbies and seeing the world, I will miss being greeted by smiling faces on a daily basis, and meeting to assist parents in ensuring a successful educational pathway for their children.

I wish Mrs. Legault all the best as the new principal of General Lake PS.

Kind Regards,

Lizanne Lacelle

**** IMPORTANT DATES ****

June 21                 First day of Summer

June 24                 Report Cards go home

June 25                 Grade 8 Graduation 12:15 Gym

June 26                 Character Assembly  1:00

June 27                  Last day of school

June 28                 PA Day

Sept 3                    first day back to school

Sept 18                 School Council Elections 6 p.m.

Excellence in Teaching and Learning

RCDSB PRESENTS NEW WEBSITE

Renfrew County District School Board is excited to announce the launching of the new innovative look of their Board website at www.rcdsb.on.ca

Check out RCDSB News announcing Valour School, Petawawa’s first Kindergarten to Grade 12 school. The new School colours will be forest green and white

Safe, Respectful, Responsible and Caring Environment

Character Champions: Ethan & Jackson Alexander                             

On Friday May 31, General Lake students Ethan and Jackson Alexander shaved their heads to raise funds for cancer research. Hairdresser Ashley May from Hair Affairs volunteered to shave the boys’ heads in front of the school during their monthly character assembly. The boys have been growing their hair for two years in anticipation for the event and they were pleased to present a cheque for over $2000.00 to the Cancer Society. The event was part of General Lake's monthly character assembly focusing on Courage.

STOPABULLY Comes to General Lake

STOP A BULLY is a national non-profit organization and Canada-wide anti-bullying program developed in 2009 by a B.C. teacher which allows any student who is a victim or witness of bullying and cyberbullying to be able to safely report the details to school officials.  The Stop A Bully program helps increase bullying awareness & accountability within schools to allow officials to be more proactive in preventing serious incidents of bullying.  Stop A Bully provides schools with critical information to be proactive in assisting all students who are witness, target and perpetrator of school bullying.  General Lake Public School is proud to be a member of this program.  This is just another way General Lake provides valuable assistance to our students against bullying and a forum for our students to safely report any incidents to our School. You can access the program at www.stopabully.ca

Wise Use of Resources

LOST & FOUND

Our Lost & Found boxes are FULL!!  Please check to see if you have missing items.  We will be disposing of the Lost & Found items at the end of the school year by way of donation.  Please encourage your children to look in the Lost & Found before the end of the school year.

Goodbye to our School Council Chair: Mme Major

Special farewell to our School Council Chairperson, Mme Claudia Major who will be stepping down from her position due to a posting in Kingston. We would like to thank Mme Major for all the work she has done with the School Council, as well as the time she has volunteered in the school assisting in classrooms; organizing bookfairs; organizing and welcoming volunteers to our school, rejuvenating our playground, participating in the Valour school naming process, and many numerous other activities she has undertaken throughout these past few years.  Mme Major has also served as the Co-Chairperson with the Renfrew Parent Involvement Committee where she was instrumental in organizing the 2012 PIC Symposium with Elizabeth Manley. She has worked tirelessly for the betterment of our school and for the benefit of our students.  We are truly thankful for all the work she has done for our school and for the County. We wish her and her family all the best in their future endeavours.  

Farewell to Family and Friends:

Best wishes for summer

It is also that time when General Lake says farewell to a number of our families and friends. Every year we lose a large percentage of our community due to postings, relocations and transfers.   It is always an emotional time for everyone. If you are leaving, we would like to wish you all the best and we hope our paths will cross again one day.

We have a couple of School Council members who will be leaving us. We would like to say a special goodbye to Jodi Alexander and Erin Morawiec who are posted. We are very thankful for all the time you have dedicated to the Council and to volunteering at various events. 

We also need to say goodbye to several staff members who will be leaving us. Farewell to our Secretary Mrs Schutt; our Educational Assistants, Mrs. Cross, Mrs. Sibley, Mrs. Murphy, and Mrs.  Wasmund; and to our Teachers Mme Haddad, Mme Butler, Mme Graham, and  Ms. Labre .

It is always important to remember that as people come and go from our lives, we will be forever touched by them.  A part of them will remain with us, and a part of General Lake will continue with them wherever their paths will lead.

Finally we wish everyone a safe and restful summer holiday.  Thank you everyone for making our 2012-13 year successful. 

Get Out and Have Fun this Summer!

The Fun Pass is back! And it’s packed with money-saving coupons. Kids can get in free at 20 Ontario attractions when accompanied by a paying adult. Families also receive $2 dollars off a daily parking permit at participating Ontario Parks locations.

Starting in June, you can access your Fun Pass coupons at www.ontariofunpass.com. Simply type in the name of the school board, print the coupons and redeem them at any of the participating Ontario attractions. It’s that easy!

The Ontario Fun Pass – your ticket to the world of history and science, art and nature.

Grade 8 Ball Team make us proud

Congratulations to the grade 8 ball team for their great sportsmanship and teamwork. Despite the poor weather, the team played their very best and made General Lake very proud.  Way to go to Kyle Lambert, Daryl Sullivan, Wyatt Shamess, Katie Hambleton, Caynen Kyle, Katelyn Ransom, Liam Jobe,  Jada McInnis, Draven Jolicoeur, Mackenzie Holt, Dominic Plamondon, Erin Stacey and the Eagle. Special thanks to Mr Blimkie and Ms Calver for coaching the team. 

General Lake Track Team Training Pays Off

Way to go to our 2013 Track Team for their dedication and perseverance in training and competing in their event. Congratulations to our team: Ayana Stafford, Charles Osborne, Draven Jolicoeur, Conner Chalmers-Weins, Liam Jobe, Sarah Stacey, Zac Barvestal, Emma Campbell, Eric Dawe, Owen Erickson, Kaitlyn Hambleton, Abigail Jupp, Gabrielle McKenna, Xavier Neegan, Stacy Rannou, Katelyn Ransom, Kale Robins, Wyatt Shamess, Erin Stacey, Daryl Sullivan, Madisenn Walsh.  Congratulations to the whole team!

Special thanks to Mme Rattray, Mme Gibson and Mme Bernardin for all their time and work training the team.

Special thank you to Mrs Julie Crouzat for volunteering her time throughout the year to coach our basketball, volleyball and soccer clubs.  The time you gave made a tremendous difference for the students and we appreciate all your hardwork.

Renfrew County Crisis Support Clinic for Youth and Families Now OPEN

Pembroke Walk-in Clinic
Wednesdays 5pm to 9pm
Ottawa Valley Health & Wellness Centre
715 Mackay Street Pembroke

Renfrew Walk-in Clinic
Thursdays 5pm to 9pm
Service Ontario Building
316 Plaunt Street Renfrew
613-635-4715 Ext 4

This is a nine-month pilot initiative made possible by the generous commitment and donations by our area Rotary Clubs .

Mini WE Day inspires General Lake students

On June 20^th General Lake Public School intermediate students presented their very first WE day. Inspired by their previous WE day experiences in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, students from General Lake put together a special program filled with motivational videos from Craig and Marc Keilburger, Spencer West, and Molly Burke, special dances and singing performances from our very own General Lake students and special guest Lynne Smith from CPAN. 

Since that first WE day experience , General Lake students have taken many actions over the past two years.  We have collected over 500 cans of food in two food drives.  Over 100 General Lake students have created awareness for children’s rights by participating in the Vow of Silence. We have hosted Aboriginal speaker Waneek Horne Millor who has spoken to us about indigenous people. We have collected 5000 pennies for the ‘WE make change’ water initiative ensuring that 2 people in the world will have water for their lifetime.  We have earned tickets to 3 WE day experiences.  Through the power of WE  two students, Sydney Robinson and Sarah McGarry,  have been inspired to go on a humanitarian trips to Kenya and Nicaragua.  We have collected over 20 snowsuits for CPAN along with countless mitts and hats.

Other General Lake students have joined the movement and been inspired to be the change.  Laurelei Belanger collected over 100 dollars in pennies for CPAN and tabs for wheelchairs.  Chloe Crouzat has collected pennies for the SPCA. Maya Lavoie has collected tabs for wheelchairs, as well as cans for cancer.  Emily Duarte collected hats for cancer patients.  Ethan and Jackson Alexander collected over $ 2000.00 for cancer. 

Students, staff and parents participating in our mini WE day brought in canned goods for our local foodbank, change for both General Panet’s humanitarian trip and CPAN, as well as snowsuits for CPAN. 

During the event two new anti-bullying programs were introduced to our school including the online reporting program STOPABULLY.ca and a new bully reporting form to submit to our Support Counsellor. 

It was truly an inspiring day and a day that showcased the tremendous power our students have when given the opportunity and a voice in making a difference in their world.  We look forward to hearing new ways the General Lake students embrace the Me to We movement in the 2013-2014 school year.  WE are the change at General Lake!

Bookfair Tremendous Success

The final numbers have just come in from our Scholastic Bookfair and we are extremely pleased to announce that we surpassed our Fall Book Fair with total sales of whopping $3974.38.  Thank you to our wonderful General Lake School community for your tremendous support, as well as the volunteers who worked tirelessly.

Silver Chain Challenge June 1-June 30

www.silverchainchallenge.ca

Chain Challenge is a friendly competition between Renfrew County and Lanark County to inspire and promote more active and healthier communities. Our goal is to engage everyone to get outside and move more.

Register today and login in often! Start small and record each trip. Renfrew County participants will log their KM, whether walking or cycling. Lanark County participants will log only KM cycled.

The benefits are huge:

• improved mental and physical health

• vibrant and healthier communities

• stronger local economy, engaged and active

Always practice safe sun habits

The hot summer sun can be very dangerous for children. They are more likely than adults to lose body fluids and become dehydrated. Sunburns, and too much time spent in the sun without sunscreen, have been linked to a greater risk of skin cancer later in life. Too many ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can cause eye cataracts that could lead to blindness.

Remember these tips to protect the health and safety of children.

• wear light, loose-fitting and light-coloured clothing, such as cotton, so sweat can evaporate; 
• wear wide-brimmed hats that allow for air flow; 
• avoid a lot of activity, and stay indoors or in the shade during the hottest time of the day (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.); 
• avoid long exposures to the sun; 
• drink plenty of water before, during and after playing to replace body fluids lost due to heat; remember, when children say they are thirsty, it is already past the time when they should have been drinking; 
• take frequent rest breaks; in hot, humid conditions, there is a greater risk of heat or sun stroke; 
• wear sunglasses that say UVA/UVB CSA certified; get your child used to wearing sunglasses from birth; and 
• wear a sunscreen that is SPF 15 or more anytime they are in direct sunlight; babies should not have sunscreen applied until they are over six months of age.