Issue 4January 2021

MT Davidson Public School249 Lansdowne St., Callander ON P0H 1H0

It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude, it’s gratitude that brings us happiness.

~Unknown

January Newsletter 2021Happy New Year! I hope all of our Osprey families had an opportunity to enjoy time with family and had a nice holiday season. We are all so happy to see our students’ smiling faces again!

As we return to school it is important to remember a few important Covid Guidelines:

All students in Grades 1 to 8 must wear a mask at school both inside and outside

All students in JK-Grade 8 must wear a mask on their school bus.

Please make sure you complete the Covid self-check each day with your child. Should your child be experiencing Covid-like symptoms you can follow the direction given on the self- check AND/OR call the Local Health Unit for guidance.

Covid School Screening North Bay-Parry Sound Health Unit

Let’s do our part to keep our MT Davidson students and staff safe!

New Water Bottle Filling StationWe have a new water bottle filling station that was purchased with funds raised last year at MT Davidson. Thank you for the support Osprey families as we now have a safer way to get drinking water. **REMINDER** Please have your child bring a reusable water bottle to school, so that we can stay GREEN and limit the amount of plastic water bottles provided to students.

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Important Dates in January

January 11th

First Day of in-school learning after the holidays

January 15th

Term 1 Ends

January 29th

PD Day – no school for students

Helping your child develop at Growth Mindset

There are two mindsets that people can develop. One is a Fixed Mindset where we think that our intelligence and talents are fixed traits that cannot be developed in a meaningful way. A Growth Mindset is when people believe they can improve, catch up or surpass others’ natural talents through dedication and hard work. By helping children develop a growth mindset we increase their confidence and help them see that they can work through challenges they are faced with.

Some ways to help your child develop a Growth Mindset:

1. Acknowledge and embrace imperfections. 2. View challenges as opportunities.3. Replace the word “failing” with the word “learning.” 4. Value the process over the end result.

Here at MT Davidson we value and believe in a Growth Mindset!

Inclement Weather Days

Living where we do, fog, freezing rain, snow and cold temperatures can interfere with the operation of our school buses. To ensure your child’s safety and minimize confusion on inclement weather days, all of the school boards in your area have established a common procedure to notify you when buses are to be cancelled or delayed or when students are returned home early.

Bus operators in your area will collect information on road conditions from personal observation and through the local Road Superintendents. When conditions warrant a delay or cancellation, the bus operators will contact transportation staff who will notify the radio stations of the decision. The announcements should begin on the radio between 6:45 and 7:00 A.M. Delays and cancellations will now also be listed on the following School Bus Monitor Websites at: npssts.ca. As well, information can be found on the Near North District School Board’s website at www.nearnorthschools.ca.

When transportation is cancelled due to inclement weather, schools will normally remain open. When buses are cancelled in the morning, there will be no transportation in the afternoon. Under severe weather conditions the Director of Education may close any or all schools. A parent’s decision to keep children home due to inclement weather will be respected.

Winter Recess and WeatherWith the winter weather upon us, this is just a reminder that all students are expected to go outside for recess and to bring the necessary clothing to make recess enjoyable (i.e., snow pants, hats, mitts, boots, etc). Please remember to pack these items to come to school with.

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Friendly School Reminders Oliver’s Labels, our school fundraiser is still up and running. It will be available all year.

Please see www.oliverslabels.com/mtdavidson to place your order. Please remember to do the Covid-19 student self-assessment with your child before school

every day and follow the proper protocols before returning to the school after an absence due to cold or flu symptoms. The self-assessment is located on our school website at https://www.nearnorthschools.ca/mt-davidson/

We are a nut free school. Please ensure all items sent to school are nut-free. Foods labelled “may contain nut products” will not be permitted.

The NNDSB does not allow the use of peanut butter substitutes such as Wow Butter or School Safe Soy Butter. Although both of these are made with soy nuts, they have the look, smell, and taste of peanut butter and it is impossible for staff to tell the difference. In order to ensure the safety of all, please be advised that peanut butter substitutes of any kind are not allowed at school.

We are a scent-free school. We have staff and students who experience severe reactions when exposed to scented products. We ask students and parents to be aware of this and refrain from using/bringing scented products at school.

**Please see our school website for regular updates and information at https://www.nearnorthschools.ca/mt-davidson/