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Roland Michener Public School
100 Penfield Drive, Kanata, Ontario, K2K 1M2
Newsletter #2 October, 2012
Telephone: 592-2126 Fax: 592-3254
C. Laine, Principal
J. Eastman, Office Administrator
O. Grigoriev, Superintendent
A. McClure, Office Assistant
M. Morrow, Chief Custodian
Principal’s Message
September and October have been very busy and positive months here at Roland Michener
Public School! Teachers have been getting to know the strengths and learning styles of their
students and we are well into the academic year. Reminder to parents that a progress report will
be coming home to you in early November.
Thank you to all who attended our “Welcome Back” information session on September 22nd. It
was wonderful to see so many of you there! Your input and involvement in your child’s education
is so valuable to us. In order to serve you better I am going to seek your input once again. I am
thinking of modifying the monthly newsletter by changing the format to a blog with updates to our
website. As the lead learner here at RMPS, I am presently looking at different options and will
communicate the changes with you soon. If you have any suggestions about this or any other
ways as to how we can better serve our families, please don’t hesitate to contact us in the office.
School Council has held their elections and we now have a few executive roles filled. If you feel
you can contribute to your School Council please email me at your earliest convenience. We
invite all parents to feel welcome in joining us for any school council meeting. The next meeting
will take place on Tuesday, November 13th at 6:30 PM in the staff room. Please email me a
week in advance if you require childcare. ([email protected])
We are continuing to use our Restorative Practices and STAR strategy in our classrooms and on
the yard. Both strategies foster understanding, while attending to the needs of all parties. The
Restorative Questions are listed in the newsletter for your use at home if you so choose.
We are pleased to introduce our 8-week Ukulele Kids Club starting on Nov 1st . For more
information, and to register, go the Ukulele Kids website at www.ukulelekids.org. Register by
October 24th and get a discount!
As always, our heartfelt thanks to all our parent volunteers who dedicate what time they have to
supporting our students and staff. Thank you to all for remembering to come to the office to sign
in and pick up a volunteer badge/sticker when you come in to help. Safety is our number one
concern at RMPS. Your contribution is greatly appreciated!
Enjoy the beautiful fall colours!
Cassia Laine
On September 28th, the entire RMPS community
took part in the Terry Fox Run. Together we raised
around $1297! Thank you to Mme Cournoyer for
organizing this event and to all staff and parent
volunteers who helped to make this day a success!
Each month classes are nominated to have the honour of
hosting our huge stuffed Roland Michener tiger named
“Stripes” in their classroom for the entire month. This
honour is given to the class that displays the characteristics
exemplified by the Roland Michener slogan “ROAR” which
stands for Respect, Open, Attitude and Responsibility.
September’s winner of Stripes was Mme Cassandra’s
class. “
ROAR”
to the SK pm EFI class!
Religious Holidays
If your child will be absent
due to a religious holiday,
please call the Attendance
Line on our voicemail
system and specify the
reason. Your child will not
be marked absent but this
will be specified as a “G”
day which is not shown on
the report card.
Don’t forget that Fridays are “Wear your
school colours days”! Wear something
black, white, and/or red on Fridays and
let’s celebrate!
Student Accident Insurance
Creating a caring and safe environment for our students is our top priority. Unfortunately, despite all
reasonable precautions being taken, accidents can still happen. Some injuries may result in medical, dental or
other expenses that are not covered by provincial health care or employer group plans. As a parent/guardian,
you become responsible for these expenses.
Student accident insurance is available for purchase, on a voluntary basis, through Reliable Life Insurance
Company. Forms can either be picked up from the school office or downloaded at www.binks.ca, or you may
apply online at www.insuremykids.com.
.
The OCDSB encourages all parents/guardians to consider purchasing this insurance. If your child is involved
in after school related sports activities or is participating in any field trips out of the province you may wish to
seriously consider the coverage options, which range from $13.00/year to $31.00/year. This coverage is for the
entire calendar year and also applies outside of school hours. If you have any questions, please call Binks
Insurance Brokers directly at 613-226-1350.
.
Dental Screenings
Every year, many kids miss school because of dental problems. The good news is Ottawa
Public Health dental hygienists screen over 40,000 children every year at school. They
look for those in need of dental care and help families get the care they need. The dental
screening done at school does not replace regular check-ups at the dentist. Children can
develop dental problems that parents may not know about. If your child missed the
screening at school, you may book a dental screening at an Ottawa Public Health Dental
Clinic. Also, please see the tricks, treats & cavities flyer from Ottawa Public Health.
For more information on these clinics or the dental program, contact Ottawa Public Health at
613-580-6744 or visit www.ottawa.ca/health.
There have been two School Council meetings since the start of this school year. At the September
Council meeting these positions were filled by acclamation:
Chair – Jiangbin Yang
Secretary –Sue Davidson
Treasurer –Mikael Vihtari
Fundraising Chair – Sue Davidson
Hot Lunch Coordinator – Sue Davidson
The School Council meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Meetings are held in the Staff room at
6:30 and last only about one hour. Childcare is also available. We welcome all parents and guardians to
attend and learn more about your child’s school!
Support your school with Roland Michener’s newest fundraiser of wool character hats and mittens!
Simply click on this link to view 31 different styles! View Knit Wits Style Guide, print and complete
the Knit Wits Order Form and send it, with payment, to school with your child by Nov 9. All
cheques must be made payable to “ROLAND MICHENER SCHOOL COUNCIL.”
Yard Supervision
You are reminded that yard supervision begins fifteen minutes before classes begin in the morning i.e. 8:30 a.m. For
safety reasons, students cannot be dropped off earlier than this time. Classes are over at 3:15 p.m. At this time, all
students should proceed to the busses or start to walk home. There is no supervision after school for students who remain
on the school grounds.
As indicated by signage in the school as well as school and class newsletter reminders, all parents/guardians should be
aware that this is a nut-free school. We have several students in the school who are highly allergic to various nuts as
well as others who are allergic to other food items such as dairy products and sesame. If you are not sure if there are
food allergies in your child’s classroom, please check with the office or your child’s teacher before you send in food
for the entire class.
We, the staff at RMPS encourage all parents to read with their children. Sharing a great story, an
article from the newspaper, a recipe or instructions from the Internet for a craft is a great way to
connect with your child while developing a love of reading. As we work together through this new
school year we will be sharing tips throughout the year to encourage our students to become critical
thinkers and to share their thinking. When choosing texts, try to find ones with multiple perspectives.
Asking open ended questions is also valuable. Here are some examples of questions to ask children to
further develop and deepen higher order thinking: Why is this type of book interesting to you? What
might happen next in the book? Why do you think that? Describe your favorite part? Why was this of
interest to you? Whose voice is missing from the story?
The focus of our School Improvement Plan for Student Achievement is “point of view.”
Here are some titles suggested by our Instructional Coach that have multiple perspectives:
“Hey Little Ant”
“No David”
“How Full is My Bucket?”
“The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.”
Also check out Google Art project at www.googleartproject.com if you want to engage your child in
some interesting conversations about the artwork from Galleries around the world.
Restorative Practices Guiding Principles: Foster understanding, seek to repair the harm,
attend to the needs of all parties, actively involve the affected person/s as much as
possible
Restorative Questions to help your child solve conflicts.
1. What happened?
2. What were you thinking about at the time?
3. Who has been affected by your actions?
4. What have you thought about since then?
5. What do you think needs to happen to make things right
Important Dates to Remember
October
31
Halloween
November
8
Field trip to the Museum of Science and Technology Grades 1 to 6
8
Progress Reports home
9
Remembrance Day assembly
13
School Council Meeting at 6:30 pm in the Staffroom
16
PA Day (no school for students) – Parent/Teacher Interviews