GORDON PUBLIC SCHOOL, 468 Thorold Road West, Welland ON, L3C 3W6 JUNE 2017

T. D’Alessandro Principal

905-734-3730

G. Watson Vice-Principal 905-734-3730

W. Hahn Superintendent 905-641-1550

S. Barnett Trustee

905-734-7110

Dear Parents/Guardians/Community Members,

It is truly hard to believe it is already June! We have had a tremendously busy month of May. The Regional Track and Field meets was a wonderful display of athletic ability at Gordon. A few school excursions allowed everyone to see why Gordon students excel in many areas. The school "Fun Fair" put on by a subcom-mittee of School Council was an amazing evening despite of the rain. That was followed up by our volunteer appreciation tea with performances by our students. It was a great opportunity to say thank you to all the wonderful people that make Gordon a special place. Kindly consider being a volunteer at Gordon next year. Whether it is being a member of our school council, a fun fair committee member, a driver to athletic events, reading with students or the many other valuable oppor-tunities to make Gordon a better place… WE NEED YOU! Whatever time you can give to our Gordon community is very much appreciated! Tony D'Alessandro Proud Principal of Gordon Public School

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Staggered Entry for Junior Kindergartens September 5th will be a staggered start for our JK students. JK students will ei-ther attend school from 9:30-11:30am or 12:30 pm—2:30 pm . Letters will be mailed out in July with your child’s schedule for September 5th. All JK students will attend full days commencing September 6th.

Important Dates to Remember: Friday June 9th—PD Day Monday June 26th—Grade 8 Graduation Wednesday June 28th—Report Cards go home Thursday June 29th—Last Day of School for Students

Track & Field 2017

Congratulations to the Gordon Grizzlies that qualified to compete in the Area 2 Regional Track & Field meet. On Wednesday, May 17th the follow-ing students competed at Niagara Olympic Club: ATOM Ian McQ, Dontay R, Zack S, Aiden Mc, Samuel V, Ayden D, Ian McC, Daniel W, Brandon C, Reese M, Brooklyn T, Jordan G, McKenna B PEEWEE Isaac W, Ethan N, Wesley M, Cameron L, Dylan L, Austin W, Elliot D, Alex B, Jake V, Ava H, Kassi W, Juliana M, Kaya L, Sarah S, Ivy C, Evynn B, Addyson B BANTAM Hunter H, Aidan A, Nathan L, Noah C, Cody J, Quinn B, Mason T, Erich N, John T, Grace R, Isabelle B, Emily S, Renee J, Faith G, Jordyn P, Aly G, Audrey B MIDGET Ryan P, Conner G, Dominic Mc, Joshua D, Micah P, Davin L, Eric S, Emilie P, Caitlin G, Evvi L, Lily C, Jessica G, Kyleigh G, Mac N, Brooke E The above athletes competed in various events throughout the day with poise, sportsmanship, and team play! The following athletes qualified to move on and compete at the District Track & Field meet which will be held Wednesday, June 7th at the Niagara Olympic Club. (Rain date: Wednesday, June 14th) ATOM Ian McQ-100M, Dontay R-200M PEEWEE Ava H-long jump, Jake V-400M, Cameron L-long jump, Isaac W-high jump BANTAM Grace R-100M & 400M, Emily S-high jump, Aidan A-100&200M& long jump, Nathan L-800M, Erich N– shot put MIDGET Kyleigh G– high jump, Ryan P-200M, Dominic Mc– 400&800M & shot put Congratulations to all of our athletes and good luck to our Grizzlies who advance to the next round!

Fun Fair 2017 The annual Fun Fair was held on May 4th. Despite the rainy weather we had our most successful event to date! Everyone was able to enjoy games, food, prizes, face painting by Niagara Face Painting and even R2D2 made an appearance. The highlight of course was the conclusion of our Pie-In-The-Face Contest. This year's winners were Mme. Stickles, Mr. Verwey and up for the threepeat Mr. D'Alessandro. The Fun Fair Committee would like to thank all of the volunteers and the Gordon staff for making the night so phenomenal! See you again next year.

Thank you! We just wanted to say a final thank you to all our vol-unteers who have given up their time to come in and help our students this year. We hope to see you all again next year!

MAY RECOGNITION RECIPIENTS

Class TEACHER CHARACTER - COURAGE ACADEMIC

1-1 Mrs. Filion Bryce B William D

1/2 Mrs. Gaspich/Barnes Elijah S Kendra L

1-1 FI Miss Sauve Jack D-M Isabella-Rose W

1-1 FI Mr. Verwey Sullivan F Kayla M

2-1 Ms. Degelman Naomi N Joseph B

2-1 FI Mrs. Benson Kali C Abigail S

3-1 Mrs. Moore Karissa N Aliayla B & Joseph W

3-2 Mrs. Knockheart Taylor N Quintin B

3-1 FI Miss. Gardiner Jesse P & Evie S Ian M

4-1 Mrs. McQueen Dustin L McKena A

4-1 FI Miss. Stickles Lily M Tyler L

5-1 Mrs. Slaght Elly B Jaxson B

5/6 Mrs. Bendlis Faith R & Norman P Mikky C

5/6 FI Mrs. Cirilli Jennah-Patrice L & Ayden M Anyssa B

6/7 Mr. Costantini Hannah W Brandon D

6/7 FI Mr. Randall Evan B & Riley F ——————

7-1 Mr. Charles Griffin G Thea A

7/8 FI Mrs. Timlock Audrey B Klaire M & Galexy S

8-1 Mrs. Rush Ethan F Micah P

French Mrs. Colonna-Spagnolo Kyle J Aya F

DREAMBOX LEARNING MATH PROGRAM

Gordon School has purchased DreamBox Learning’s Math Program. This is an exciting and fun online math program that helps all students achieve better, faster math proficiency. The expectation is that students work independently and without aid. (i.e. parental/calculator).

Your child can access DreamBox from any computer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Just go to the Gordon School website and follow the Dreambox link on the main page. There is no software to down-load. All you need is a high-speed internet connection and Adobe Flash. Adobe Flash is free and is included with many internet browsers. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher. You can also receive additional support by con-tacting DreamBox Client Care at 877-451-7845 . support@dreambox.com.

WARMER WEATHER

The warm weather is here and with it a change of wardrobe. We understand that it can get warm in the school and that as a result students want to wear cooler clothing. We want our students to be comfortable while performing all school activities. With that in mind, we want to remind everyone that students are expected abide by the following dress code guidelines; Shirts—All shirts must have a “three finger” width strap, not spaghetti straps (no bra straps showing) Shirts must cover the entire abdomen (no belly showing between shorts and shirts) Shorts—All shorts must be at least as long as your arm with fingers fully extended (mid thigh). We do not want stu-dents uncomfortable sitting or bending in their shorts. If they are low rise shorts, again the shorts and shirt must meet (no belly showing) If students do not meet these expectations, they will be required to call home for a change of clothes or will be given something that meets the above criteria here at the school.

THE SUN IS BACK!

The sun is shining and it’s time to get outside to play! But before you run outside, make sure you remember your 5 S’s…

· Slip: on some clothes that will protect your skin from the sun (loose-fitting and tightly woven are best).

· Slop: on some sunscreen that is at least SPF 30 and filters UVA & UVB rays (broad-spectrum). Put sun-

screen on 20 minutes BEFORE you go outside, so it can soak in. Don’t forget your ears, nose and feet if you

are wearing sandals! Lips should also be protected with SPF 30 lip balm.

· Slap: on a wide-brimmed hat to protect your face, ears and neck

· Seek: shade when outside between 11am-4pm

· Slide: on some sunglasses that have 100% UVA & UVB filters

Attention moms, dads, coaches and caregivers: sun damage can happen quickly, so make sure youth remember

sunscreen for lunch break, gym class, track and field and other outdoor activities.

For more information, talk to your school nurse.

New this year to School Cash Online, is a PERMISSION ONLY OPTION. During the school year we attend many events that has no cost to families. This new convenient option will not only provide more convenience to families but will also be more eco -friendly and save on printing and paper costs. How it works: You will receive an email alert that a new item is

being offered on school cash Check off permission Add to cart Go to checkout Click continue Click complete order

SCHOOL CASH

ONLINE UPDATE!

SIGN UP TODAY!

www.dsbn.org/schoolcash

NO CHANGE ? NO WORRIES!

DOG ATE YOUR

PERMISSION FORM?

NO WORRIES!

JK REGISTRATION If your child will be attending JK/SK in the fall and you have not yet registered them, we en-courage you to so as soon as possible. We look forward to welcoming them to Gordon.

SPIRIT DAYS June 2nd-Crazy hat day June 28-Pink shirt day

GRADE 8 GRADUATION Monday June 26th

@ Centennial High School 6:30 PM

LDAO INFO LD@home is a free resource created by the Learning Disabilities Association of On-tario (LDAO) for parents of children ages K to gr 8 with learning disabilities (LDs). The website, www.LDatHome.ca, provides in-formation, resources, and a supportive en-vironment for parents in Ontario. LD@home works with Ontario school boards to provide parents with information that educators feel is relevant while reach-ing their goal to ensure that students with LDs are successful, both in school and for the rest of their lives. For more details, please visit their website.

STUDENT PICK UP AND DROP OFF

Regardless of whether students are late or leaving early, we ask that all students check in at the office. This enables the office staff to ensure that all stu-dents are arriving safely to class or being dismissed to the appropriate person. Furthermore, we would like to re-quest that parents/adults wait at the office at all times. If your child requires assistance getting to class, one of the office staff would be happy to escort them. Any information you would like to convey to teachers can also be conveyed by the office or through your child’s agenda. Once classes have started we want to minimize the disruption to other students that are participating in the instructional day.

TOP 10 TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD WITH MATH

1. Connect math to daily life-Let them know the

importance of math! Talk about how you use math in your day-to-day life (at the store, in your job, around your house).

2. Counting can be fun and entertaining-Show them math can be fun! Sing songs (One, Two, Buckle My Shoe) and play games (card games, hopscotch, board games, dominoes, chess).

3. Start Easy and Work Up! - For example, after they’ve got counting by 1’s, talk about skip counting and count by 2’s, then 5’s and 10’s. Don’t jump ahead too fast.

4. Use household items for practice-Practice adding and subtracting with objects from the house like spoons or pots and pans.

5. Tap into your child’s curiosity—Go on a number hunt in your house.

6. Talk about time - Talk about seconds, minutes and hours, then count days and weeks. Ask them questions: How long until bedtime? How many “sleeps” until the weekend?

7. Practice mental math using coins—Count money or have them show you how much an item costs and practice making change for when they’re at the store.

8. Play the estimating game—Estimate meas-urements, distances, time and grocery bills and then compare to the actual.

9. Sports and Math—There is a lot of math in sports, such as batting averages, points per game and save percentages (discuss these as you watch the games or read the newspaper.

10. Computers + Math = Fun (there are lots of great computer games available to explore math).

VISITING? SAY HI AT THE OFFICE!! Whenever you are coming to Gordon, please be sure to stop in the office first to say hi. The safety of every stu-dent in this school is important to us. As a part of our Safe School policy all visitors MUST sign in at the office.

PARKING

Our back parking lot off Clare Ave. is reserved for staff parking and bus loading and unloading. Our bus-es will board immediately upon dismissal and depart Gordon at approximately 3:15 p.m each afternoon. Parents dropping students off prior to the start of school may also use this lot if they wish. Our front parking lot off Thorold Road will be available for all parent and visitor parking. Students picked up or dropped off during the school day should enter/exit and sign in/out at the office. At the end of the day, Kindergarten students will exit out the Kindergarten door and students in Grades 1-8 will exit at the main office. Thank you for keeping our students safe!

PARENT PARKING CONSIDERATIONS

Please respect the areas designated No Parking., Fire Routes, Laneways and Handicapped only.

Please use the designated sidewalk and paths at all times.

Please be patient in our parking lot.

Be safe and watch for children at all times.

Consider parking away from the school (ie. side street) and walking.

On August 21, 2017 NSTS will post specific back to school transportation arrangements for each student enrolled at the school boards, including bus route numbers, stop locations and times. Eligibility information is also available through the portal and walking directions are available if your child lives within the walk zone of the school and is not eligible for trans-portation service. Please visit www.nsts.ca and sign-in to the secure parent portal to get your child’s student transportation information. To sign-in to the portal you will need your child’s Ontario Education Number (OEN) which can be found on their report card. While signed-in, please subscribe to the delay and cancellation module for direct and timely emails regarding student transportation that impacts your child. Changes to home, pick-up or drop-off addresses must be made through your child’s school. During the summer you may notify NSTS of address changes so we can make sure a bus stop is available for your child to start the school year, however, NSTS is not authorized to change student address information. With the availability of the secure parent portal, NSTS will not mail student transportation notices with the exception of Kindergarten students or new students to the system who do not have an OEN to sign-in to the portal. Please contact your school or NSTS if you have questions regarding your child’s transportation arrangements.