4300 William Street, Po Box 390 Beamsville, Ontario L0R 1B0 Telephone: (905) 563-8209 Fax: (905) 563-3088

good character. Another focus at Jacob Beam is preparing students for life in the 21st century. This includes promoting prob-lem solving, good commu-nication, critical thinking, and collaboration. These skills have been identified as crucial for success in the 21st century. The staff at Jacob Beam is currently working on our School Im-provement Plan by examin-ing data on our strengths and areas of growth. We welcome your input.

Christine Waler

Principal

Where did September go? The school year is already flying by. We enjoyed meeting so many parents at our “Meet the Staff’ Open House Breakfast on September 20th. Please let us know how you felt about visiting the school in the morning rather than after school (feedback form in this newsletter). We will continue to work with par-ents to build a school com-munity focused on student success. Research has demonstrated that there are seven characteristics of an effective school: a safe and orderly school environ-ment, high expectations of

student success, strong instructional leadership, a clear and focused mission, a focus on instruction, fre-quent monitoring of student progress, and parent and community involvement. We will also continue to focus on promoting good character and a commit-ment to community service. The character trait we will feature in October is Respect. Respect for oth-ers always begins with re-spect for self. People who feel good about them-selves treat others with respect. At each monthly assembly, we discuss with students the importance of

This year we have changed our

pizza supplier due to an increase in

costs. We have changed to Gino’s

Pizza in Grimsby .

Even though we have changed our

supplier we still need to increase

our costs from November to $1.50

per slice. Mrs. Hayward has con-

tacted the local schools in our area

and has discovered that this amount

is still less than what they currently

charge.

Gino’s Pizza meets the ministry

food and nutrition guidelines.

The pizza is cheese only, has

transfat free cheese on it and is

made in a peanut free facility in

accordance with Bill 8 “The

Healthy Food for Healthy

Schools Act (an act to amend the

Education Act)”

Jacob Beam School Spirit Wear will be on sale soon. Look out for the order

Principal’s Thoughts

Increased Pizza

D I S T R I C T S C H O O L D I S T R I C T S C H O O L D I S T R I C T S C H O O L D I S T R I C T S C H O O L

B O A R D O F N I A G A R AB O A R D O F N I A G A R AB O A R D O F N I A G A R AB O A R D O F N I A G A R A

Jacob Beam Bulletin O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2

S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

• Check out our

school website

www.dsbn.edu.

on.ca/schools/

JacobBeam

• Just a re-

minder that

we have stu-

dents who are

allergic to

nuts. Please

check packag-

ing carefully

when sending

food with your

child. Thank

you!

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Principal’s

Thoughts

Pizza Costs

Remembrance

Day

2

School Council

News

Halloween

2

Prom Project

Health Nurse

2

Soccer 3

Harvest Happen 3

Immunization

Clinics

3

Report Cards

Staff changes

4

5

Playground 5

Maths/parent

support

6

Award Winners Mag Campaign Eco Bullying

6 6 7 8

P A G E 2

Remembrance

Day

Madame Rondeau is

in need of

photographs of

Jacob Beam

students’ family

members who

fought for Canada

during any of the

wars. If you sent

one in last year we

still have it on file,

so no need to send

again. If you do not

want to send in a

photo for scanning,

you can scan it

yourself and e-mail

to jac@dsbn.org

Halloween events

Prom Project Niagara 2012 – Free Formal Wear Opportunity

School Council Corner School Council Elections—

elections were held on Wednesday,

September 26th. Congratulations

and thank you to the following par-

ents willing to serve on our School

Council:

Chair: Bev Boden

gymnasium in the after-

noon. Stay tuned for fur-

ther details about these

events from homeroom

teachers as we get closer

to the big day.

If you are sending in treats for

your child’s class, please re-

member that we have several

students in the school with

allergies to nut s and peanuts.

Please consider sending in non-

food items instead, e.g. pencils,

stickers.

HEALTH NURSE The health nurse assigned to our school

is Mrs. Shelley Juskiw. She will be pro-

moting optimal health among our stu-

dents and assisting us in developing a

healthy school environment. If you

have any questions about the ser-

vices she offers, please contact the

school.

On Wednesday Oc-

tober 31st, 2012 the

students of Jacob

Beam will enjoy a fun

day of costumes, classroom par-

ties, a parade and a dance for the

grades 5, 6,7 and 8 students. The

staff and students will dress in

costume for the afternoon only

(morning kindergarten excluded).

All primary students will parade

through the school and out to the

playground for the parents to see.

The grade 6, 7 and 8 students will

dress up for their dance in the

J A C O B B E A M B U L L E T I N

Prom Project Niagara gives young people the opportunity to select formal wear free of charge to attend their formals and grads feeling stylish, confident and proud. If you are a student in need who could use this program, please join us on Saturday, Octo-ber 20th from 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Thorold Secondary School. We are inviting all stu-dents who are in need of formal wear for their special day! No registration is necessary. For more information please call 905-641-2929 ext. 54103, email efn@dsbn.org or visit www.educationfoundationofniagara.ca

Vice Chair: Greg Brownstein Secretaries: Kathy Horton and Gina Allan We have 12 voting members on School Council this year. Hot topic at the next meeting: Honour Roll—what are the criteria? Next meeting date: Thursday, Octo-ber 18th at 6:30 p.m. in the library.

Looking for Lunch Lady Volunteers

If you have any time to volunteer once or twice a month to help dis-tribute Lunch Lady meals in the school , please let the office know.

Thank you!

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

Junior Soccer

Please review

with your

child our

school of

conduct

which is

located in

your child’s

agenda.

The Beamsville BIA is hosting its 3rd Annual Harvest Happening. This is a Free Family Fun event. This years event will have a Childrens Costume Parade through town, vendors, crafts for the kids, a decorate your pumpkin contest, music, buskers, the Fire Dept. will be on site and MUCH MUCH MORE!!

We hope to see you there. Date: Saturday October 27, 2012

Parade Registration: 9:30 am at tent behind Library Parade Starts at 10 am

Time: 10:00 am – 2 p.m. Place: King St., Beamsville

School-Based Immunization Clinics

Did you know that every year in Canada, 1,400 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 400 will die from it? Almost all cervical cancers are caused by a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The HPV vaccine is an important medical advancement that makes cervical cancer a preventable disease. Once again this year, the HPV vaccine called Gardasil® will be offered free to all female Grade 8 students through Niagara Region Public Health’s school-based immunization clinics. In addition, the Hepatitis B vaccine and the Men-ingococcal vaccine called Menactra® will be offered free to all Grade 7 students . Parent/student information packages will be coming home with your child in September. Clinic dates and times will be announced through your child’s school. For more information, speak to your school nurse or call the Vaccine Preventable Disease Program at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7425.

Junior Girls Soccer:

Our girls had the opportunity to compete recently in the DSBN Region 3 Soccer tournament. With 16 girls on the team and four games to play, the girls got to play a lot of soccer and for some our girls it was their first time playing competi-tively. The girls kicked off each game with one of the loudest cheers to be heard and then went out onto the field and gave it their all each and every game they played. We were winless in our four games as we had lost a couple of tough games, but we also lost a couple of very close 1-0 games. However, our team received the ultimate compliment when one of the teams playing in their last game of the day told us that we were the most sportsmanlike team that they had played all tournament. That alone was our biggest victory and something that our girls can be very proud of. Here is our team: Bryar B, Haley B, Julia B, Mya C, Madison C, Rachael D, Kylie D, Mikaila J, Kayla M, Charlotte M, Ab-bey P, Ellie R, Keerthana S, Teagan W, Kendra W, Larissa M.

Junior Boys Soccer: Last week our junior boys soccer team travelled to Smith School to take part in the Region 3 junior soccer tournament. The team didn't have much to prepare but came out strong with a 3-2 victory against Camp-den. Our second game was a tough defeat to a strong Central school. The boys pressed and pressed but fell short losing 1-0. Our third match up was against Caistor. The boys controled play from the opening whistle, winning easily 3-1. The loss to Central would prove costly as the boys missed advancing to the semi-finals by a single point. The boys worked extremely hard that day and showed great Bengal pride and sportsmanship. They made our school proud! A special thanks to our parent drivers who volunteered their time to drive our boys and cheer us on.

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. The following seven fundamental principles lay the foundation for rich and challenging practice. When these principles are fully understood and observed by all teachers, they will guide the collection of mean-ingful information that will help inform instructional decisions, promote student engagement, and improve student learning. The Seven Fundamental Principles To ensure that assessment, evaluation, and reporting are valid and reliable, and that they lead to the im-provement of learning for all students, teacher use practices and procedures that: • are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students; • support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are learning the language of instruction (English or French), and those who are First Nation, Métis, or Inuit; • are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and, as much as possi-ble, to the interests, learning styles and preferences, needs, and experiences of all students; • are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the school year or course and at other appropriate points throughout the school year or course; • are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning; • provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement; develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to assess their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning. (Ontario Ministry of Education, Growing Success, p. 6) We know that parents have an important role to play in supporting student learning. Studies show that stu-dents perform better in school if their parents or guardians are involved in their education. This is the basis for the principle that students and parents should be kept fully informed about the student’s progress. Our schools have procedures in place to ensure that parents are aware of the expectations for their child in the various grades. 2012-2013 School Year Reporting Timelines October 30th, 2012 Grades 1-8 Elementary Progress Report Senior Kindergarten Progress Report November/December Junior Kindergarten Parent/Guardian Observation and Follow-up February 7, 2013 Grades 1-8 Term 1 Elementary Report Card Junior Kindergarten Progress Report Senior Kindergarten Term 1 Report Card June 24th—26th, 2012 Grades 1-8 Term 2 Elementary Report Card TBA Junior Kindergarten Term 2 Report Card Senior Kindergarten Term 2 Report Card At any time throughout the year, parents/guardians are invited to communicate with the school about their child’s progress and achievement

P A G E 5

Mrs. Ryan and Mrs.

Riel are twins for

a day.

Playground Equipment Closed After School

Reading to Your Child

Staffing Changes Thank you so much for your

understanding and support as

we worked through our staff-

ing changes in September. As

you know, Mrs. Howe left our

school and Mrs. Riel/Mrs. Pe-

ters moved to Grade One. As

a result of these moves, Mrs.

Jennifer Harley joined our staff

as our junior kindergarten

teacher. Mrs. Harley has a

wealth of experience and en-

thusiasm and is thrilled to be a

member of Jacob Beam’s

teaching team.

We have another staffing

change to announce. As of

Monday, October 1st, our

educational assistant, Mrs.

Kowalenko, will no longer be

with us. We are grateful to

Mrs. Kowalenko for all that

she has done to support our

students. We are awaiting

information from our board’s

Special Services department on

the name of Mrs. Kowalenko’s

replacement.

Finally, as of October 9th, we

are saying goodbye to our long

-time lunchroom supervisor,

Kelly Barker. Kelly has added

so much to our school over

the past five years. Thanks,

Kelly, for all that you have

done for the students at Jacob

Beam. You have made a huge

difference!

4. Children’s book illus-trations often rank with the best, giving children a lifelong feeling of good art. 5. Books are one way of passing on your moral values to them. Readers know how to put them-selves in another’s shoes. 6. Until they learn to read themselves, they will think you are magic.

Ten Reasons to Read To Your Child 1. When you hold them and give them attention, they know that you love them. 2. Reading to them will encourage them to be-come readers them-selves. 3. Children’s books today are so good that they are fun even for adults.

7. Every teacher, teacher-librarian and librarian they ever encounter will thank you. 8. It’s nostalgic... memo-ries are made of this. 9. For a short space of time, they will stay clean and quiet. 10. If you do read to them, they may then let you read in peace.

ther leave our property

safely or are brought back

to the office because they

were not picked up. Un-

fortunately, it has been very

difficult to determine which

students on the playground

equipment have their own

parents there supervising

and which do not and our

teacher on duty has the

responsibility to ensure

everyone else’s safety. We

have determined, there-

fore, that the safest re-

course is to close the play-

ground equipment after

school. Thank you for your

under-

standing

and sup-

port.

Earlier this school year, we

let parents know that there

is no supervision after

school around the play-

ground equipment, that

parents would have to su-

pervise their own children

if they were on the equip-

ment. The teacher on duty

after school is there to

make sure all students ei-Twins

Loving Mathematics

P A G E 6 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

Tips For Fostering a Positive Attitude about Mathematics

“Whether you think you can or think

you can’t, you are right.” Henry Ford

Be positive, and talk about the ways you use mathematics every day. Sharing negative experiences (by saying, for example, “I was never good at math”) will not encourage your child to engage in mathematics and be confident about taking risks as he or she solves problems. In-

stead, try statements like this: “We can solve this if we work it out to-gether. What are you thinking?”

• Let your child know that you think mathematics is important.

• Point out the ways in which family members use mathematics in their jobs and at home.

• Let your child know that every-one can learn mathematics. Praise your child when he or she makes an effort and understands something for the first time, and

share in the excitement when you and your child solve a prob-lem together. Encourage your child to be per-sistent when a problem seems difficult. Students who view themselves as mathematicians (as well as readers and writers) are more likely to succeed and become confident learners. *Information taken from the Min-istry of Education Publication “Helping Your Child Do Mathe-matics”

tence (skills, concepts, strategies), healthy living and living skills . Take an interest in the curriculum topics and help to make connec-tions at home as students apply their learning (e.g., including them when making food purchasing deci-sions and preparing meals, dis-cussing physical activity choices, using parks, arenas, pools, and trails together). Parents can also promote the safety practices that children learn (e.g., wearing seatbelts and bicycle

Promoting a Healthy School Environment Health and Physical Education are two of the core subjects your children will have at Jacob Beam. Health and Physical Education classes are not about making a school team or scoring the most points. Students are learning health literacy and physical literacy. This literacy involves participating in and learning about a wide variety of activities across 4 learning strands: active living , movement compe-

helmets, walking facing traffic, han-dling food safely, using sunscreen and protective clothing for UV pro-tection, preventing bullying, safe internet usage).Such opportunities help children build confidence and experience, while developing their appreciation of being active. Re-search has also shown that students who receive a quality Health and Physical Education program also perform better in other subjects be-cause of the benefits that physical activity has on things such as brain and social development.

about their school experiences and discuss what they are learning. Let your child describe what is fun to learn and what is challenging or confusing. Demonstrate literacy and numeracy in your daily routines, for example, by reading newspapers, writing gro-cery lists, measuring, or calculating the cost of something. Provide hands-on activities for young chil-

dren such as preparing food, doing arts and crafts, and playing letter and word games. Keep a fridge calendar that shows important dates about school projects and school events. Limit television and other “technology time,” especially if your child has difficulty complet-ing school work. From Talk About Assessment, Damian Cooper

Here are some suggestions about what parents can do at home to support their child’s learning. For example: set aside a specific time after school each day for your child to do homework. Be available to help your child without doing the work for him or her. Demonstrate interest in your child’s learning by asking to see what he or she is working on. Talk to young children

How Parents Can Support Learning at Home

Gr 1/2 Kiera, Tyler

Gr 2 Meygan

Gr 2/3 Evan

Gr3 Brair, Zander

Gr 4 Ashley

Gr 5 Abbey

Gr 6 Jordan

Gr 7/8 Alex

Gr 8 Rileigh

French Larissa

Each month a student from each classroom will be chosen

by the teacher to be the student of the month.

On Thursday, September 27th we held our first Recognition

assembly of the school year. We recognized our student of the

month winners . Congratulations to the following students:

Student of the month winners

Mrs Harley Jaiya, Coletyn

Mrs Haney Mackenzie

Mr Fung Mitchell

Gr 1-1 Elijah

September at Jacob Beam

Award winners for the month of September

MAGAZINE FUNDRAISER Our Magazine Fundraiser will begin on September 27th, 2012. There are a wide range of subscriptions available and savings for your family. What a great gift for the Christmas season! All proceeds from this cam-paign will provide our school with funds for the playground and trips that support teaching and learning. The campaign finishes on October 9th 2012.

Open House Breakfast We would appreciate your feedback (Please tell us what you thought of holding our Meet the Staff event in the morning): _________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

Some pointers to keep the trick or treaters safe. ☼ Children under nine years of age should go out with an adult or responsible older child. ☼ Be sure your child stops at all curbs, looks

ECO-School

LITTERLESS LUNCH

TUESDAYS AT JACOB BEAM

Here is a website with some ideas for encouraging children to partici-pate in the waste free lunch week in Oct www.wastefreelunch.com

Eco-Tip of the Day Refuse plastic bags! Bring your own bag to the store and help your parents to remember to

bring a bag when they shop.

Why take two when one will do? Make sure you only take one paper towel to dry your hands: there’s no need to waste trees!

Want to save a tree? Recycle paper… one tonne of recycled paper keeps 17 trees from

being cut down. Use a central bulletin board to post flyers, send e-mails about an upcoming event, or an-

nounce your event on the PA or local radio, rather than printing dozens of paper posters. Use scrap paper that’s only been used on one side to doodle, figure out math problems,

draw, write notes to friends, or teachers, or write rough copies of assignments. Plastic containers can be reused over and over again. Fill up a container with a snack rather

than wrapping it in plastic wrap. Things like cleaners, insect sprays, paint, batteries, motor oil, and old medicines should not

go in the regular garbage. They should be taken separately to your local municipality’s Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Centre. We will accept your dead batteries.

When you shop, look for products that can be recycled—or have been recycled already! Read the label and look for the recycle symbol.

Jacob Beam During our school year we will be offering for sale our Eco—Friendly 16oz stainless steel water bottle with clip and the Draw-string bags. The cost is $6.00 per item. They will be available at the office. The water bottle is a great addition to your child’s school supplies, as we have recently

October 15th 2012 until October 21st 2012