* Tecumseth South Times *

March 2017 * Issue #7 * Phone: 905-936-3711 Respect * Responsibility * Reaching for Excellence

WE COMMIT TO INTEGRITY ‘Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do.’

~Don Galer

Updates:

Important Dates in March

1st – Int. Boys’ Basketball Tournament

2nd – Grad retakes if necessary

3rd – P.A. Day

6th – Int. Math Olympics

9th – Gr. 7 Immunizations

10th – Chess Tournament

13th – 17th – March Break – No School

20th – 6:30 – School Council

21st – FDK and Gr. 1/2 to Cold Creek

31st – 9:30 – Monthly Assembly

A Message From The Principal…

Dear Families,

I would like to congratulate Tecumseth South students and staff for a successful Term! Report cards were sent home

with all students on February 19, 2017. The Report Card contains 4 pages, and follows the guidelines set out in the

Ontario Ministry of Education’s ‘Growing Success’ Document. It is a pleasure to see students, parents and teachers

discussing progress, achievement, next steps, learning skills, feedback, and success criteria. Students, teachers and

parents have multiple opportunities to be up to date with grades, marks, rubrics, strong work samples, self-

assessment and teacher descriptive feedback. When discussing your child’s Report Card, review with them the next

steps and goals to set to improve in Term 2. Some questions you can ask your child are: What are you

learning? How will you know if you have done a good job?

Please continue to find learning in everyday activities - Look for letters and numbers when out and about in the

community, have a family game night- play cards, board games or read together. Please also continue to reinforce

the importance of Digital Citizenship. Take the time to talk about your child’s digital footprint- are they leaving a

positive personal trail online? Are they using technology responsibly both at home and at school? We have included

in this newsletter a summary of the SCDSB’s Appropriate Use of Technology Agreement to help with these

discussions.

As we move forward to meet the goals set out in our Board Improvement Plan, Teachers, Administrators and

Superintendents from Simcoe Region Schools get together on a regular basis to discuss and plan how to improve

leadership in instructional practices and look for new and exciting innovative ways to engage our students. This

professional commitment and collaborative culture reinforces that we are all lifelong learners! We aim to engage

students in their learning and motivate them to work to their academic potential. Student achievement involves

curriculum instruction, assessment, character education, citizenship, well – being and healthy active living.

It is truly the partnership of home and school that makes Tecumseth South P.S. work. Thank you for your continued

support and trust.

Sincerely,

M. Bongard

Kindergarten Registration started January 25 Is your child turning four this year? It’s time to register for Kindergarten.

Our school is now registering children for Kindergarten for the 2017-18 school year. Required registration documents

include birthdate documentation, proof of address and record of immunization. Visit www.scdsb.on.ca/kindergarten for

more information.

Please take a moment to review a summary of our

APPROPRIATE USE OF TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT

In accordance with the Appropriate Use of Technology Agreement signed by students in September

2016, users must follow the SCDSB policies which state:

4.1.6 use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening or disrespectful language.

4.1.7 use racial slurs, comments, jokes or teasing and defamatory or discriminatory communications

and postings, graffiti and other behaviour that might cause a negative school climate.

4.1.8 share information that, if acted upon, could cause damage or danger of disruption to the system

or bring about harm to others.

4.1.9 harass others; (Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another

person).

4.1.10 cyberbully others.

4.1.11 knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person

4.1.14 use ICT to record or photograph other students unless authorized by school teaching or

administrative staff prior to any recordings being made. Such equipment includes board and

personally-owned devices, such as cell phones, smart phones, iPods, iPads, computers, personal

digital assistants (PDAs), cameras, MP3 players, tape recorders, video recorders, digital audio

recorders and any other technological equipment that allows for recordings to be made of visual

images and/or sounds. This is to respect the privacy and ensure the safety of all students and staff.

6.2 When using social networking sites outside of the classroom (i.e. in their homes), students are

reminded that appropriate behaviour and anti-bullying guidelines apply in the online world. Protect

your privacy, safety and reputation and the privacy, safety and reputation of others.

Intermediate Boys’ Basketball The Intermediate Boys’ Basketball team played amazing at the zone tournament on February 23rd. They won all five of

their games and demonstrated teamwork and Tec South spirit! Way to go boys! The boys participated in the next level

at the area tournament on Wednesday, March 1st and won again! Keep it up, we are cheering for you!

The boys on the team are Graysen, Ethan, Steven, Colton, Nic, Julian, Austin, Riley, Jacob, Nicholas and Hayden. Mrs.

Santo and Coach Paul are very proud all of your hard work and determination.

Mrs. Santo and the boys send out a huge thank-you to Coach Paul for volunteering his time to coach the team.

Pink Shirt Day On February 22nd Tec. South celebrated Pink Shirt Day. Thank you to everyone who wore something pink. It was a

wonderful day to celebrate treating each other with respect.

Library News A big welcome to Andy Cho, who is helping out in the library until March Break. Andy is in his last semester of

Library Information Technology at Seneca College, and is working on a few projects to help update our library.

A big thank you goes out to The York School, a private school in Toronto that donated their old library furniture

to Tec South. We love our new circulation desk and book drop, and have lots of new shelving to display

books. Thanks to Mr. Leaist for arranging this for us, and for moving all that heavy furniture!

School Council News

SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING

The next meeting will be at 6:30 PM in the school library on Monday, March 20th. All are welcome to join us

for the meeting.

SPRING FUNDRAISER

Fresh and frozen food handmade and locally grown by Hewitt's Farm Market! Order forms will go out next week with a

deadline for all order forms of March 21ST! Orders will be ready for pick-up at the school on April 10th between 3:30 and

5pm!

TOOT’N’HOLLER – SAVE THE DATE/DONATIONS WANTED

After our great success with our first foray into the Toot’n’Holler last year, we will be participating again in

2017. The Toot’n’Holler is the annual community garage sale day that is held on April 29th throughout

Tottenham and is promoted through the Tottenham Chamber of Commerce.

We will be looking for donations of items to sell at the garage sale. All sale proceeds will be directed to the

Technology Fund for our school.

Donations of clean, gently used items such as; Clothing (washed) Appliances (small, working, all parts present) Toys (clean)

Books Etc.

Any large items (like furniture) must be pre-approved for the sale. Please save your items you wish to donate

for our sale or if you need to get rid of them sooner but still want to donate them please contact Michelle

Oates Smith @ 905- 936-2334 or runfast@sympatico.ca, or Lesley Smith @ 905- 936-2332 or

smithservices@bellnet.ca for drop-off locations prior to April.

We will have a time frame set up the week before the sale where donations may be brought to the school for

donation – dates and times will be published once they are known.

Public Speaking

Congratulations to our school Public Speaking finalists:

Alice B., Danya O., Jack M., Makayla F., Sarah S., Zosia D., Nathan F., Callum S.

Shaelyn S., Quinn L., Wiggy T., Ruby C., Maverick D., Olivia M., Abby C., Serenity F.,

Quinn H., Haydn H., Griffin L, Theo S., Presley M., Graysen A., Gigi M.

And to our students who competed at the legion finals:

Quinn H. – Int. Division, Griffin L. placed 2nd – Jr. Division and Zosia D. place 3rd – Pr. Division

Events at Eastview Secondary School in April open to all

parents On April 10 at 7 p.m., Eastview Secondary School will host a screening of the film Screenagers, a study of growing up in

the digital age. Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston created Screenagers to probe into the vulnerable corners of

family life to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. This presentation will

help parents learn how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best

navigate the digital world.

On April 12 at 7 p.m., the school welcomes financial literacy expert Robin Taub, the author of the best-seller, A Parent’s

Guide to Raising Money-Smart Kids. Her presentation will cover why it’s important to teach kids about money, as well as

the challenge of being a good financial role model. She will explain how to address money-related topics with young kids,

pre-teens, teenagers and emerging adults.

All parents/guardians are welcome to attend the above events. For more information, please contact Eastview Secondary

School at 705-728-1321. The school is located at 421 Grove St. E. in Barrie.

SCDSB Media Fest: What Does Being a Great Canadian

Look Like? Students are invited to submit an entry for the 2017 SCDSB Media Fest. This media festival is open to all Simcoe County

District School Board students and can include images, audio and video. For more information, visit

www.scdsbmediafest.com. The submission deadline is April 3.

Student information notice for parents of Gr. 8’s

As students’ progress from elementary school to secondary school, important personal student information is shared

which eases each student’s transition. Sharing this information also improves our ability to program effectively to benefit

all students. Select student information will be shared at different times as appropriate. The collection and use of personal

student information for such purposes is authorized under sections 170, 171, 190 Part X and Part XIII of the Education

Act. All information used for the transition process is limited, secure and protected at all times. Please contact Darryl

Halliday, Superintendent of Education for this area, if you would like more information about the transition process at

Tecumseth South P.S.

March is Nutrition Month – Tips for packing a healthy

school lunch A school lunch should give children the energy and nutrients they need to be ready to learn, be more alert and perform

better at school. When planning lunches keep these tips in mind:

include one serving from at least three of the four food groups from Canada's Food Guide

rather than buying pre-made lunch kits, make your own healthy “lunch kit” with divided containers and small ‘bite-

sized cheese cubes, left over chicken chunks, veggie sticks or fruit slices

get your kids to eat more veggies! Send cucumber coins, zucchini sticks and pepper strips with dip

fill whole wheat or multi grain wrap/pits/tortilla shells with your child’s favourite foods such as hummus and grated

carrot or sliced turkey with mustard

water is the healthiest choice to quench thirst

Looking for more information to help keep you and your family healthy? Call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-

721-5720 to speak with a public health nurse or visit the health unit’s website at www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

Get outside to play on March Break

Active play does more than help kids to achieve the 60 minutes of physical activity they need every day, it supports their

development in many ways – especially when the play is outdoors, self-directed and fun. This allows kids to test

boundaries and problem-solve, develop social skills and resolve conflict, and learn to control their emotions and

behaviour. Active play outdoors in the fresh air and nature also helps to improve mood and lower stress. Support your

child to play outside with friends in the neighbourhood and at your local park as much as possible.

Feel like your teen is always on? Ever consider how all those minutes your teen spends sitting using electronic devices, watching TV or even playing video

games add up every day? By replacing some of their screen time with physical activity, you will be helping them to

become healthier, reduce stress and be more likely to feel happier and more confident. Here are some ideas to suggest to

your teen:

organize a pick-up game of baseball, ball hockey or basketball

check out a local nature trail with friends

try something new like disc golf!

Set a goal to limit screen time to less than two hours each day.

Ontario Early Years Centre Are you home with little people and looking for something fun to do? Drop by the Ontario Early Years Centre

in Alliston! The OEYC is a free service for all adults with children 0 to 6 years of age. Adults and children

participate in activities together. Children have the opportunity to play with other children and participate in

many different types of programs and activities, which promote early learning and school readiness, and they

are FUN for children and adults alike.

Do you have a child starting school in 2017? Participating in activities at the OEYC is a great way to help

prepare your child for this exciting transition. OEYC staff have resources for kindergarten preparation. Just

drop by and ask!

Check out our website, www.e3.ca or call 705 435-4308 for hours, directions and more information.

OEYC also offers outreach programs in communities outside of Alliston. These early learning programs for

children 0 to 6 years of age accompanied by an adult, include a variety of activities, circle time (story and

songs) and crafts. Fun, early learning for children! You are welcome to visit the following locations and join in

the programs there:

Tottenham Community Centre – 10 am – Wednesdays March 1st and 15th

Tottenham Library – Pam Kirkpatrick Branch – 10:30am – Wednesdays March 8th and 22nd

DA Jones Library, Beeton – 10:30am – Friday March 3rd and Tuesday March 21st

Triple P Seminar Series for parents of children 0 to 10 years of age.

Small changes can make a big difference! Plan to attend these three seminars for tips to make parenting easier and more

fun!

- The Power of Positive Parenting

- Raising Confident Competent Children

- Raising Resilient Children

Wednesdays March 22 and 29 and April 5 – 7 to 9pm

Presented by Janet Humphrey, Ontario Early Years Centre Simcoe Grey at the Alliston OEYC site, 13 Wellington Street

West, Alliston. Call 705-435-4308 to register.

Bradford Progress Childcare Centres Before and After School Program – 905-778-8377

www.bradfordprogresschildcare.ca OR www.scdsb.on.ca

Hours – Monday to Friday – 6:30 AM to 9:10 AM & 3:30 PM to 6 PM

Please contact Laura Swagerman (site supervisor) at 905-965-4896 for further information or pick up an

information package from the office. There is now limited space available here for children in Kindergarten to

grade 6.

Student Pick Up at the End of the Day If you are picking up your child at the end of the day, please send a note in the agenda for the teacher. Calls at the end of

the day may be difficult to coordinate. Please remember that if you are picking up your child at the end of the day, you

need to meet them in the front foyer. For safety reasons, students are not allowed to enter the front parking lot unless

they are with an adult.

Reminder: School playground safety in the spring The sun is warming things up, days are getting longer and many students are itching to get back on the school playground

equipment. While it's hard to say 'no' to those eager faces, it's important to make sure the equipment is safe and ready to

be played on.

Over the winter, school play structures have to be closed. The closure is for many reasons. The main reason is that snow

and ice change the surface of the ground surrounding the play structure, packing the sand/gravel/mulch into a hard,

packed surface, which can be a significant fall hazard. Inspections are done on equipment daily by the school principal or

designate during the school year starting on April 1 and ending on October 31. These inspections are to ensure that there

are no obvious hazards, broken equipment, vandalism, graffiti, litter, dangerous items or play items left behind. There is

also an annually inspection by a professional company employing Canadian Certified Playground Inspectors (CCPI).

Each spring, a designated contractor travels to all schools with playground equipment to till the surface to ensure that the

sand is no longer compacted before opening the equipment for student use. In some cases, the wear and tear, rain or

winter may have washed some sand away and it will need to be replaced.

Playgrounds can be fun learning opportunities for students, so let's all make them safe spaces – we look forward to spring

and getting students back on our school playground structures soon!

Message from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit:

Building resiliency Every child needs skills and supportive people in their lives to help them deal with life’s challenges. Resilience is the

ability to adapt to life’s difficulties and be able to move forward with hope and optimism.

Here are some tips on how to raise resilient children:

Treat them with warmth, care and sensitivity

Expose them to a wide variety of learning environments

Talk about how family members feel

Help them manage difficult emotions

Let them know they are loved and appreciated

Teach them to have more positive thoughts about themselves

Encourage positive peer relationships

Teach them to be flexible, how to make decisions, solve problems, set appropriate goals and work to attain them

For more information, call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 and speak with a public health nurse or

visit the health unit’s website at www.simcoemuskokahealth.org. For information and tips on parenting, visit

www.triplepontario.ca.

Hard Copies of the Newsletter

If you wish to receive a hard copy of the newsletter you must notify the office in writing.