March 2017

Inside This Issue

100 Day Fun 2

ARC Review Update 3

Spirit Team Celebrates the Arrival of March Break

4

Puppy Love 5

This Month’s Sportlight 6

Jr Robotics Win Gold 7

Speech Winners 7

5459 Hwy 20, RR2, St. Ann’s, ON, L0R 1Y0

905-386-6223 (phone)

gai@dsbn.edu.on.ca (email)

Gainsborough Centra l Publ ic School

Mission Statement:

“Gainsborough Central Public School strives for each child to live, learn and laugh in a safe, unique, and challenging environment. Each child is encouraged to achieve personal stand-ards of excellence in the school community.”

STAFF CHANGES

All the best to Ms. Wink and Mrs. Lance as they start the

next chapter in their teaching career starting Mon., March

20, 2017; following March Break. Ms. Wink will be teaching at Plym-

outh Public School, in Welland, and Mrs. Lance will be teaching at

Heximer Public School, in Niagara Falls. Both teachers will be missed by

all students and staff. We want to take this opportunity to thank them for

the excellent job they have done at Gainsborough.

At this time, we welcome back Ms. Gullett to our Gainsborough staff af-

ter her leave of absence. I know she is very excited to be returning and

working with our wonderful grade 2 class.

Sincerely,

Mr. G. Osmond

Principal

Character Trait

for March:

RESPONSIBILITY

Kids Are Sweet Enough Without Added Sugar

The Niagara Healthy Kids Community Challenge (www.healthykidsniagara.ca) has

teamed up with communities across Ontario to launch the Water Does Wonders

Pledge Campaign. Why Pledge? To be part of the solution! Kids are drinking way

too many sugary drinks, which has a negative impact on their health, their teeth, and their minds. We can all help by

making water easier to access and by not serving sugary drinks to children. By taking the

pledge, you are affirming your commitment to improved health for our kids.

Sign the pledge at www.waterdoeswonders.ca!

If you choose to be recognized, your family will be featured on our Hall of Pledges. Your

pledge will also help Niagara earn Top Community status on the Hall of Pledges.

MARCH BREAK There will be no school from Mon., March

13, 2017 - Fri., March 17, 2017. We will

see you back on Mon., March 20, 2017.

Have a wonderful, safe and memorable holiday!

Page 2 Gainsborough Publ ic School

MAY I HAVE YOUR ORDER

PLEASE?

Last month, the Gr 4 and 5 students travelled to Paris Crepes Cafe in Ni-agara Falls. The students placed their food and drink orders in Francais!! We all thoroughly enjoyed our crepes! Délicieux!!

by Mme Snippe

Wildcats Having Fun on “100th Day”

On Fri., February 10, 2017, the grade one class celebrated the 100th day of school. The stu-dents were counting up to this day since the first day of school. On this day the children were asked to dress up like they were 100 years old. On the 100th day each student received a pass-port to complete various numer-acy and literacy activities throughout the day. Some activi-ties were: writing about what they would buy with $100, what they would do when they are 100, writing 100 words, making words with the letters 0-N-E-H-U-N-D-R-E-D, finding the numbers on a blank hundreds chart set up on the Smartboard, counting out 100 items, making a train with 100 items and measuring the longest one, just to name a few. The day is always a big hit with the grade one children, and it is a fun way to make many connections to the cur-riculum.

by Mrs. Kotsis

My goodness

Adam D. (4/5),

your crepe looks

too good to eat!

Aiden W. (3/4) pauses

from enjoying his

crepe to smile for the

camera.

Kindergarten Hundred’s Day!

The students have had a blast in February! For our 100th Day of School cele-

brations, students explored the number 100 through various activities. They

counted by ones and tens and made a crown with ten groups of ten dots,

equaling 100. Students explored what 100 cups and 100 Lego look like and

what you can build out of them. We did over 100 exercises and counted

along with a song at the Smart Board. Finally, students thoroughly enjoyed

creating and eating a snack of 100 treats by making groups of 10 on ten

frames (a counting math tool the students have been using all year).

Page 3 Gainsborough Publ ic School

Playing chess makes you smarter! Improves concentration and memory.

According to studies, playing chess signifi-

cantly improves children’s visual memory,

attention span, and spatial-reasoning abil-

ity. In order to play well, you have to focus

completely on your objective—capturing

the opponent’s king. As you constantly

visualize the board, its pieces, your

moves, and your opponent’s every

possible countermove, your power of

concentration grows.

Enhances reading and math skills. With its focus on problem solv-

ing and move variables, it’s not surprising that chess can improve a stu-

dent’s math skills. But numerous studies show that chess improves read-

ing skills as well! Chess requires decoding, thinking, comprehension,

and analysis.

Fosters logic, critical thinking, and creativity. Chess favors the “if–

then” thinker. “If I move here, then my opponent may move here, here,

or even here.” That’s logic and critical thinking in action!

Encourages and rewards hard work. Chess offer s immediate feed-

back. Lose your focus, lose a piece. Practice and study the strategies,

win more games. In chess, you control your destiny.

Chess is just plain fun!

Jr and Int students are invited to join the Chess Club for a chance to par-

ticipate in the Regional Chess Tournament. See Ms Sardo in Room 11

to sign up. by Ms. Sardo

Corner

School Council would like to wish all of our families a fun and safe March Break!

Spring Flower Sale Stay tuned next month for more information on our Spring

Flower sale!

Next School Council Meeting Our next meeting will be Thu., March 2, 2017, at 7pm in the

Staff Room. Please email julie.adams.88@gmail.com if you

require childcare for the meeting.

2016/2017 School Council Executive

Chair: Julie Adams julie.adams.88@gmail.com

Co-Chair: Pauline Dawson

Fundraising Chairs: Erica McLaren & Connie Mittag

Treasurer: Angie Greenwood

Secretary: Tara Burdick

West Niagara Secondary Accommodation Review

On Tue., September 27, 2016, DSBN Board Trustees voted to initiate the West Niagara Secondary Accommodation Review.

This decision was made to enhance the learning opportunities and meet the needs for all secondary students in West Niagara.

We encourage all parents to visit the link below or visit our school website and click on the ARC button for the detailed re-

port, important dates and where you may electronically submit your input. Please feel free to contact your school Principal

and/or view the link below as we move through this process together.

http://www.dsbn.org/arc/

Board Meeting to Consider Final Report Tue., March 28, 2017

Did you know Dreamcatchers originated with the

Ojibwa people following adoption from neighbour-

ing nations through trade? They were intended to

teach natural wisdom. Through the 1960’s they

were adopted by Native Americans of diverse cul-

tures and hung above the cradleboard of a baby

while they slept; believed to give sleeping infants

peaceful, beautiful dreams. Dreamcatchers are tradi-

tionally made of flexible willow branches forming a

hoop on which a net or web is woven. Sometimes

there are feathers and beads attached.

Cohen W. (Gr1) shows us the Dreamcatcher he cre-

ated with Miss Watton and is excited to hang it in

his home so his brother and mom can enjoy it too.

Page 4 Gainsborough Publ ic School

LOOKS WHAT’S GROWING IN JK/SK

In kindergarten we are learning about

plants and how they are the same and dif-

ferent. We planted our own garden in the

sand table to help us learn some of the

different types of flowers. We can see

that flowers have different colours and

that leaves are all different sizes and

shapes. Some students even decided to

paint some of the things they could see in

our garden! We are having a blast working

in our classroom garden each day! by Ms. Crysler

"We Stand On Guard For Thee!"

Students are encouraged to join staff in singing along with a recording of our national anthem each day. At

our school assembly each month, a class has been highlighted as one which has a high level of participation in this exercise in patri-otism.

Here are the "O CanTADAH!" winners for the first term of the school year: SEPT: Ms. Sardo’s Grades 4/5 Class OCT: Mrs. Bouhuis’s JK/SK Class NOV: Mrs. Hall’s JK/SK Class DEC: Mrs. Kotsis’s Grade 1 Class JAN: Miss Rybiak’s Grades 2/3 Class

These classes have received a trophy and class certificate for display, individual certificate copies for each student, and...a special delicious treat :)

I wonder which class will be next to receive the "O CanTA-DAH!" award?! by Mr. Shatford

March is Nutrition Month

Fruits and veggies are not only absolutely delicious

but they are nature’s fast food! Ready to eat and

most come in their own “to-go” packages. Produce

makes the perfect snack for kids to grab and

go. They need minimal to no preparation and buying

ones in season means you can save some money and

shop smarter.

Think you can’t get much produce on a tight budget?

Here are some tips to make shopping for produce

more easy and affordable:

Don’t shop when you’re hungry and carry a list.

You’ll be more likely to stick to your budget

and nutritious food choices.

Look for washed and bagged salads, baby car-

rots, celery hearts, broccoli and cauliflower

crowns, cherry tomatoes, and shredded cabbage

in your grocery store

Buy fresh produce, like peaches or bananas, in

varying degrees of ripeness to allow for some

ripening towards the end of the week

Canned and frozen vegetables can be convenient

choices

Spend most of your time in the produce, bread,

meat and dairy sections

Use store flyers to help you find specials

See more at:

http://www.halfyourplate.ca/produce-is-affordable

Page 5 Gainsborough Publ ic School

Puppy Love!

On Fri., February 24, 2017, Nadia and her brother Luke brought in 3 adorable Greater Swiss Mountain puppies to share with the JK/SK and grade one classes. The puppies are only 5 weeks old, and are named Alvin, Simon and Theodore. The puppies are growing up quickly, and the children had a lot to share about their experiences at home with these young puppies. The students at school learned about their mother, they love winter weather, they eat raw food, drink milk from the mom, they will grow up to be about 100 lbs., and they enjoy playing with each other. The children could iden-tify each puppy by the various white patches on their bodies. We were truly fortunate to have the puppies in for a visit. A shout out “Thank you” to Ms. Vandervliet for coming to our class!

by Mrs. Hall, Miss Mannell and Mrs. Kotsis

Student of the Month

Nadia V. (Gr1) proudly holds Alvin; one of her puppies. Below, Luke V. (JK) helps mom hold all 3 puppies.

Our Character Trait Assembly was held on Tue., February 28, 2017.

Award Winners are:

(back row; lt - rt): Mackenzie A. (Gr6), McKenzie P. (Gr1), Grace N. (Gr1), Matthew K. (Gr2), Ethan D. (Gr8), Natalie H. (Gr4), Lauren M. (Gr3), Hanna M. (Gr3), Joshua P. (Gr4) and Finley H. (Gr2),

(middle row, looking back): Joshua C. (Gr2) (front row; lt - rt): Daniella B. (JK), Colette B. (JK), Sarayah K. (SK), James H. (SK), Evelyn S. (JK), Luke V. (JK),

Missing from photo: Tegon S. (Gr2), Cooper V. (Gr4) and Parker E. (Gr7),

Way to go Wildcats!!!

Our next Character Trait Assembly will be RESPONSIBILITY on Mon., March 27, 2017, at 9:50am.

Page 6 Gainsborough Publ ic School

Prom Project Niagara 2017

Free Formal Wear Opportunity

Prom Project Niagara is a one day fun free formal wear extravaganza for girls and guys!

Students can select their perfect head-to-toe look for their prom, formal, or graduation for FREE!

This year, we are offering Prom Project Niagara at:

St. Catharines Collegiate *NEW MAIN LOCATION*

Beamsville Secondary School

Fort Erie Secondary School

If you know of a student who could use this program, please join us on Sat., April 8,

2017, from 9:30am - 1:30pm at one of our locations.

Inviting all students who are in need of formal wear for their special day!

For more information on Prom Project Niagara please call 905-641-2929, ext. 37712,

email efn@dsbn.org or visit www.efnniagara.ca

*Note: for Welland and Niagara Falls schools: bus transportation is available to the St.

Catharines site! Contact the Foundation to book your spot on the bus!

Brooklyn C. (Gr1) amazes

us with her incredible

bravery and singing talent!

Page 7 Gainsborough Publ ic School

SPEECH CLUB

The Gainsborough Speech Club worked very hard

and had a lot of fun practising for the Royal Canadian

Legion Speech Contest. After presenting their speech-

es to the school, two successful speakers were chosen

from each division to represent Gainsborough School

for the competition to be held Tue., February 28,

2017 (Primary Division) and Wed., March 1, 2017

(Junior Division) at the Smithville Royal Canadian

Legion. We congratulate all these students who took

the time to prepare and memorize the speech of their

choice. These students are: Adam, Addison, Aiden,

Allayah, Amber, Bella, Cohen, Elijah, Kyler, Lexi,

Matthew, Mackenzie, McKenzie, Sereena, Tatum,

Tom and Zachary. At the school level, Lexi K. (Gr2)

and Matthew K. (Gr2) were winners in the Primary

Division; Adam D. (Gr5) and Aiden W. (Gr4) were

winners in the Junior Division. Well done, partici-

pants! Gainsborough School is proud of your fine

efforts! by Mme Agro and Miss Rybiak

ROBOTICS

The commitment to Robot-ics Club was strong at Gainsborough from the jun-ior grades all the way up through intermediate. All of our club members were highly engaged in both the hands-on building and pro-

gramming required to tackle project-based activities. Our year of Robotics Club came to an end with the DSBN Robotics Tournament held on Thu., February 23, 2017, at Brock Uni-versity. Bringing two teams of four, the Gainsborough stu-dents made us proud! Our intermediate team worked hard throughout the day and received points at all four events. Our Junior Team won the DSBN Championship for the Junior Di-vision. They were the winners of the welding event and scored the most points overall to win the championship. Way to go Wildcats! The Intermediate team members included: Shon M., Luke T.,, Hunter M. and Owen B. The Junior Team members include: Adam D., Kaeli K., Allayah M. and Zach S.

by Mr. Freure and Ms. Wink

Page 7 Gainsborough Publ ic School

INT GIRLS BASKETBALL

Our successful season with the Intermediate Girls Basketball Team has come to an end with many wonderful and notable mo-ments. With great teamwork, positive attitude and commitment, our girls became finalists in our regular season play. The team then went on to partici-pate in the DSBN Tournament and played with intensity and Wildcat pride. Congratulations girls on a great sea-son! Team members include: Emily B., Emma K., Emma V., Megan G., Trinity Y., Hailey B., Victoria H., Leah M., Marina M., Avery T., Rachel S. and Morgan ‘Hightower` M.

by Mr. Freure and Ms. Wink

INT BOYS BASKETBALL

The Intermediate Boys Basketball Team had a great

season this year! Demonstrating growth in all areas of

basketball, the team played hard both during their reg-

ular season games and at the DSBN Tourna-

ment. Congratulations on all of your successes! Team

members include: Seth L., Ted H., Tyler L., Shon M.,

Matt W., Ethan K, Ethan D., Joshua D., Andrew H.

and Luke T.

Mr. Freure and Ms. Wink