OSCAR PETERSON PUBLIC SCHOOL: e-BULLETIN

April, 2015

You can reach us by:

Jane Macpherson, Principal Erin Cranney/Susan Durfy, Vice Principal

Paul Carew Superintendent of Schools (905) 895-5155 Loralea Carruthers, Trustee (905) 953-0562

By Phone: (905) 642-1236 Fax: (905) 642-5938 Website: http://www.yrdsb.ca/schools/oscarpeterson.ps

1. Outdoor Classroom We are continuing to work on plans for our outdoor classroom! What is an outdoor classroom? Please see the "outdoor classroom" attachment to clarify some of your questions and to tell you more about it! We are thrilled to announce that we are a Top 10 Finalist in the Majesta Trees of Knowledge Outdoor Classroom Competition. Should we attain the most online votes during the competition voting period, we will win $20,000 to help make our outdoor classroom a reality (more news and information to follow). You are also invited to attend our Majesta Trees of Knowledge Kickoff Assembly on Tuesday, April 7 at 1:40pm. At the assembly, everyone is invited to wear green. We hope to see you there!

2. Jazz Week Jazz Week is coming to OPPS in April! We are very excited to present a variety of fun and interesting workshops for all students. We need parent volunteers to help this week run smoothly. If you can volunteer your time to help the staff it would be greatly appreciated. Workshops run April 22 - 24, from 9:00-12:40 (Junior/Intermediate classes) OR 1:40 -3:20 (Primary classes). Kindergarten Jazz week dates are April 30 and May 1, 2:00 – 3:00. Please contact Lisa Austin if you are available to volunteer for any of

these sessions. lisa_austin@rogers.com

3. Robotics Teams Headed to Provincial Championships On March 11, 53 teams from across York Region participated in the YRDSB Robotics Championships in

Nobleton. The junior team of Jet, Dylan, Ryan and Owen finished first overall and the intermediate team

of Mahnoor, Dalia, Cynthia and Mathusha finished second overall. Both teams will travel to Waterloo on

May 4 to battle the best teams in the province at the Skills Canada Provincial Championships. This year

marks the fourth consecutive year where both the OPPS junior and intermediate teams have

represented YRDSB at Provincials.

4. Volunteer Appreciation

At Oscar Peterson Public School we are not only fortunate to be surrounded by amazing students and

staff but also by our numerous volunteers. As April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, we would like to

take the time to formally recognize and thank all of the volunteers in our school. As a volunteer, we

OSCAR PETERSON PUBLIC SCHOOL: e-BULLETIN

April, 2015

recognize the time you provide out of your personal lives to help make school a safe, fun and enjoyable

learning environment. Whether you are a member of school council, spend time reading with students,

organize pizza lunches and nutritious snacks, assist with the supervision of students or help organize

events (to name only a few) your efforts do not go unnoticed. We welcome volunteers at our school

and greatly appreciate all that they do.

5. Spring Weather

As the winter months seem to be finally allowing Spring to come we enter a time where there is new

growth, warmer weather and a lot of mud. With that being said, please ensure your child is properly

dressed for the outdoor spring like conditions and that they have a pair of indoor shoes. Our caretaking

staff works very hard to ensure our students come to school each day to a clean and safe environment.

By wearing indoor shoes we are demonstrating respect for their hard work and are doing our part to

keep the school clean.

6. Safe Arrival and Student Absences

Please remember to call the school if your child is going to be absent. When leaving a message on the

answering machine please ensure you state you child’s name and their teacher’s name. If we do not

receive a phone call and we are unable to verify the absence, the police may be called to ensure the

safety of the student. You can reach the school at 905-642-1236.

Please also note that if your child is away for more than 15 days due to an illness you will be asked to

provide documentation from a medical practitioner. If your child will be away for more than 15 days due

to a vacation, please speak to the office to obtain an Extended Absence form.

7. Autism Awareness Month

April 2nd, 2015 marks the 8th anniversary of the very first World Autism Awareness Day. In 2007 this

date was declared by the United Nations General Assembly, in order to bring the world’s attention to

Autism, a spectrum disorder that affects tens of millions globally.

On October 23, 2012, a World Autism Awareness Day bill was passed by members of the House of

Commons in Canada which officially recognizes April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day in Canada.

At Oscar Peterson Public School a committee is working to build awareness of Autism within our school

community and are asking staff, students and parents to show their support by wearing blue on April

2nd.

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April, 2015

8. Music Alive

The Intermediate Band will be participating in York Region's "Music Alive" festival on Friday April 17th,

where they will play, be adjudicated and have the opportunity to hear other York Region bands

perform. Family members of band students are welcome to attend our performance at Lincoln

Alexander P.S. in Markham beginning at 12:00p.m. on that day. Good luck OPPS band!

9. Summer Institute

This summer Oscar Peterson Public School will be the host site for the Summer Institute that is run

through the board. This is a program that offers academic, recreational and athletic programs and

activities with intentional links to the Ontario Curriculum for children and youth from Kindergarten to

Grade 8. Programs will run for six weeks starting the week of July 6th and concluding the week of August

10th.

Information and registration for the Summer Institute can be found at the following link:

http://www.yrdsb.ca/Programs/summer/si/Pages/default.aspx

10. York Region District School Board Student Surveys

In order to provide information for Board and School planning, York Region District School Board

students in Grades 5 to 12 will be invited to participate in a school survey. The survey, which is

anonymous and confidential, will be conducted from April 7 to May 15, 2015 and will take place at

school. The information from this survey will be used to identify areas to be addressed, monitor

progress and plan strategies to support student achievement and well-being. Aligned with Board

priorities, the survey will address topics including equity and inclusion, school safety, learning

environment, student well-being and other priorities. If you have questions, please contact the school

office.

11. Spring Jazz Night!

On Wednesday, May 6th, Oscar Peterson P.S. will be hosting an evening celebration of the arts

showcasing the various arts clubs in our school. This night is an opportunity for students who

participate in these groups to exhibit their talents! Performances will include choirs, dance teams,

Intermediate Band and other creative clubs. As well, this evening will be an open house gallery walk of

art pieces created by our students as well as displays from Jazz Week. Performances will occur in the

gym at various times beginning at 6:30p.m. (Doors open at 6:00p.m.) We hope to see you there!

OSCAR PETERSON PUBLIC SCHOOL: e-BULLETIN

April, 2015

12. Games Club

Games Club will be held on Wednesdays for Grades 7-8 and on Fridays for Grades 1-2 students until

early May. Parents are invited to help out or play with students. The Games Club Volunteers would also

like to teach the Grades 7 and 8 students how to play games such as Backgammon, Scrabble, Crokinole,

Chess, Euchre, etc. If you have an interest in any of these games or enjoy playing board and card games

in general, please join us in the Library from 10:30-11:00 every Wednesday. The Games Club for Grades

1-2 is every Friday and also runs from 10:30-11:00 in the Library. Parent volunteers must have

completed and provided a copy of the Vulnerable Sector Screening to administrative staff in the school

office.

13. Subways Lunches The final order for Subways Lunches will go home the week of April 20th and will be due back on Wednesday, May 6th. Our thanks to all of you who have placed orders, the committed volunteers who have helped out and to our OPPS family, The Patels, who own the Subways restaurants in town and have provided us with great service all year long!

Please take the time to read the attachments to this e-Bulletin. They provide information regarding

school and community initiatives.

(see next page for calendar)

OSCAR PETERSON PUBLIC SCHOOL: e-BULLETIN

April, 2015

April, 2015

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

.

1 Subway Lunch

Come Play With Me – Kindergarten Parent Night – 6:00-7:15

2

3

Good Friday

No School

6 No School Holiday

7 Breakfast Program 8:30a.m.-8:45a.m.

8 Subway Lunch

9

10 Holy Friday

Pizza Lunch

13

14 Chaitra New Year Vaisakhi Breakfast Program 8:30a.m.-8:45a.m.

15 Spirit Day – Dress up as your favourite character from a book or bring your favourite book.

16

17 Intermediate Band to Music Alive

Pizza Lunch

20

21 Ridvan Breakfast Program 8:30a.m.-8:45a.m.

22 Subway Lunch

Jazz Week

23 Jazz Week

24 Jazz Week

Pizza Lunch

28 Breakfast Program 8:30a.m.-8:45a.m.

Jr. Girls Basketball Area Tournament at Mazzo De La Roche P.S.

29 Subway Lunch

30 Jr. Girls Basketball Area Tournament at Mazzo De La Roche P.S. Kindergarten Jazz Week

1 Kindergarten Jazz Week

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April, 2015

April Extra Curricular Events

Activity

Grade(s) Teacher Contact

Knitting Club 3-8 Mrs. Syvret, Mrs Chetwyn

Cultural Club 5-8 Mrs. Itwarie, Ms. Gibson-Neve, Mrs. Eng, Mrs Benbow

Jr. Girls Basketball 4-6 Mrs. Giancoulos and Mrs. Itwarie

Jr. Boys Basketball 4-6 Mr. Stover/Mrs. Stover

Me to We 5-8 Mrs. McIntyre

Intermediate Band 7-8 Mrs. Mc William

Games Club 1-2 and 7-8 Mrs. Grant, Mrs. McIntyre, Mrs. Martin

Leadership Team 7-8 Mrs. Itwarie/Mrs. Cranney

Healthy School Committee 7-8 Mrs. Walker/Mrs. Itwarie

Dance Club 4-6 Mrs. Itwarie/Ms. McGuire

Robotics Junior/Int Mr. Wilson

Tech Club

4-6 Mrs. Rand

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