H O M E O F TH E W O LV ES Issue 5 | JANUARY 2018 THORNWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOL

We are a community of connected, confident, critically thinking citizens growing

in a changing world.

277 MISSISSAUGA VALLEY BLVD MISSISSAUGA ON 905-275-4077

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @THORNWOODPS #TPSWolfPack

SCHOOL WEBSITE www.thornwood.peelschools.org

Principal - S. Stanford Vice Principal - N. Madgett Office Manager - A. Allen

Superintendent of Schools - D. Van Hooydonk darren.vanhooydonk@peelsb.om 905-336-8800

School Board Trustee Mississauga Wards 3/4 - S. Lawton susan.lawton@peelsb.com 905-625-8084

Would you like to work as a casual lunchroom supervisor at Thornwood Public School? Or would you like to volunteer your time at our school? If so, please drop off a resume to express your interest in a paid position, or fill out the volunteer application form. Drop off your resume or volunteer application form to the main office.

Lunchroom Supervisors and Volunt eers Needed

Happy New Year

t o our fam il ies and com m unit y par t ners!

We look forward to working with you in support of student success throughout 2018. Our students returned to school with smiles on their faces and plenty of snow to appreciate and enjoy. We are so happy to have our Thornwood Wolves back in school, learning, collaborating, and participating in respectful and fair play.

Important upcoming events and dates.

- The im m unizat ion record review process by Peel Public Health is underway. A letter was mailed to parents prior to our Winter Break, with information about missing vaccines. Students still missing vaccines will be mailed a second letter on February 1st, and a third letter on March 18th. Students who have not received the necessary vaccines by April 19th will be suspended from school until the necessary documentation is received. For more information, please contact www.ImmunizePeel.ca.

- Dent al Screening in Peel elementary schools is required by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. During the dental screening, a Registered Dental Hygienist and a Certified Dental Assistant will visit Thornwood to screen all children. After a quick visual check in the child?s mouth, they will determine if the child requires urgent dental care or preventive services. Screening will take place on January 29, 31, Feb 1, and 2.

Congratulations to Mr. Wilson on receiving his 25 years of service in the Peel District School Board and to Ms. Belvedere for her 30 years of service!

Join us for our next School Council Meeting on Monday January 15th. We will be meeting in the library at 6:30 p.m. All parents are welcome to attend and participate!

School Council is currently planning for Family Day! On Thursday February 22nd, School Council will host a parent engagement evening that will focus on Science, Technology, Literacy and Mathematics.

Stay tuned for details and how to get your tickets to this event!

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN

JANUARY...Jan. 1 - Cash Online goes live!

Jan. 10 - Pizza Day

Jan. 15 - School Council

Meeting

Jan. 17 - Cookie and Milk Day

Jan. 22 - P.D. Day - No school

for students

Jan. 24 - Pizza Day

Jan. 29 - Dental Screening

begins for all students

Jan 29 - Full Day Kindergarten

Registration begins

Jan. 31 - Cookie and Milk Day

STUDENTS AND STAFF DONATE TO THE SALVATION ARMY & PEEL POLICE TOYS

FOR TOTS TOY DRIVEThank you to students, parents and to the staff of Thornwood Public School for their generous contributions of food, toys and winter clothing in support of the Salvation Army, Peel Regional Police and the Canadian Tire Corporation Toys for Tots campaign. Together, we made the holiday season brighter for families and their children in Peel Region.

Students in each class were challenged to work together to bring in food donations over the month of December. Our students filled the bottom of our Christmas tree with much needed food items. Congratulations to Ms. Thampi's Grade 2 class who donated the most food during our food drive! Students will be recognized with a class pizza party for their extraordinary efforts!

Staff at Thornwood purchased new toys , which they later presented to one another at their holiday social. The items purchased were donated to the Toys for Tots campaign to ensure that no child goes without a gift this holiday season.

SCHOOL COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS

SOMETHING TO HOWL ABOUT

Students at Thornwood

Public School are selected

by their teachers and

classmates to receive the

student of the month

award. Each month,

Thornwood Public School

focuses on one of the Peel

District School Board's

Character Traits. During

the month of December our

school focus was on being

honest in the classroom and

on the playground.

Congratulat ions to

December's Students of the

Month for demonstrat ing

and modeling for others

how to be honest!

Congratulat ions on your

well deserved recognit ion!

Grade Class Teacher St udent (s) Charact er

1 1A Geddes Mohammad Honesty

1B Simpson Nour Honesty

1C Belvedere Victoria Honesty

1D Sachdeva Abdullah Honesty

2 2A Thampi Claudia Honesty

2B Arbour / Milo Alaa and Aubrey Honesty

2C Gabrielli Troy Honesty

2/3 De Castro Juan Honesty

3 3A Vedi-Chopra Fahmi Honesty

3B Daly Mohamed Honesty

3C Saberton Ganesh Honesty

3/4 Smith Taha Honesty

4 4A Giblen Aisha Honesty

4B Makalintal Yahya Honesty

4/5 Wisner Sudais Honesty

5 5A Passarelli Zuhaib and Raththish Honesty

5B Comstock Roman Honesty

5C Jordan Kevin Honesty

ASD Donnelly Hadi Honesty

PHYS ED

Falbo/Wilson Rhodas and Amar Honesty

French Gr.5 Kdouh Class 5A, 5B, 5C! Honesty

Music French Zavarella

Find a reason why each number does not belong.

FAMILY MATH CHALLENGE!

And the results are in! All students at Thornwood had the opportunity to vote on their favourite school logo designs submitted by our grades 4 and 5 students. Congratulations to Erdene who received 1st Place for his wolf logo design, Erina for her 2nd place design and Raththish for his 3rd place design! Watch in February as Il lusion Im ages now uses their concepts to create our Thornwood Public School's Wolf Logo! Stay tuned!

Source: http://wodb.ca/numbers.html

Erina receives recognition for her wolf logo design and an art canvas with paint brushes courtesy of Ms. Darragh.

Wolf Logo Design Cont est Winners!

For the last three months, students have been reading and enjoying great Canadian literature through our Forest of Reading Program. Over 40 students in grades 4-5 have participated by independently reading the selection of 10 books from the Silver Birch Express and Silver Birch Fiction and Non-Fiction categories!

Students will vote for their favourite author on April 26th. Students in Kindergarten and grades 1-3 will also be visiting the library with their class to cast their votes for their favourite Blue Spruce book. Once the Ontario School Library Association has tallied all the votes from students all across Ontario, they will announce the winning selections at the official award ceremony in Toronto later in May.

FOREST OF READING

In January Thornwood joined school and public libraries all across Ontario in launching the 2018 Forest of Reading Program! Each year members of the Ontario School Library Association choose

10 books written and illustrated by Canadian authors and illustrators to be nominated for an award. Students in Kindergarten to grade 3 will be reading, discussing, and celebrating 10 fantastic picture books written by Canadian authors with their classroom. In April, they will be invited to cast a vote for their favourite book. The book chosen by the most readers will receive the 2018 Blue Spruce Award.

Around 40 grade 4 and 5 students have also joined the Silver Birch Reading Club which runs on Fridays at lunch. These students are independently reading 10 books in their chosen category (eg. fiction, non-fiction) and discussing these books on-line in a Google classroom. These students will also be eligible to vote for their favourite book in April.

Our students are always excited to participate in this program and the discussions around which book is the favourite is always lively! We are looking forward to reading the books and participating

in Forest Fridays when selected authors from the program will be hosting virtual visits with our

classrooms over the internet.

Library News!

SILVER BIRCH

Thornwood host s a

Handball Tournament !

Teams face of f a

gainst

Br iarw

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Fitn

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Pay school fees online? regist er soon!The Peel District School Board is excited to announce that your child?s school will soon offer a new, preferred method of payment for all school fees. School Cash Online is a safe and secure form of online payment that allows you to pay for your child?s school items, like field trips and pizza days, from your computer or smartphone using eCheck, Visa or MasterCard.

Regist rat ion w il l begin on January 8, 2018 (We w il l have pay opt ions ready for February)By registering, you?ll have the ability to:

- Keep track of your children?s school item and activity fees- Check account history- Print or view receipts- Make donations to school fundraisers online and instantly receive a tax receipt- Pay for school fees with the click of a button

For more information and to register, visit https://peelschools.schoolcashonline.com. More information will be coming, please stay tuned.

KISS 'N' RIDE AT THORNWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOL

Keep st uden t s safe in school park ing lot s

We offer a Kiss N?Ride program, where parents/guardians can drop off and pick up their children at a designated area on school property. The program was established to provide a convenient and safe option for our students and parents driving to school. To ensure the safety of staff and students, we ask all parents/guardians be mindful of the following guidelines:

* There is no park ing and no wait ing in t he Kiss and Ride lane. Pay attention to the traffic in front of you and pull forward as cars move forward. If you choose to park in the parking lot, please escort your child to or from the nearest foot patroller and use the main crosswalk.

* Vehicles entering the Kiss and Ride lane must stay in the designated lane, unless otherwise directed by a staff member or volunteer.

* The Kiss N?Ride program is only available to students who are able to disembark independently.

* Have your child ready to exit the car when you reach the curb. Students may only exit from the passenger (right) side of the vehicle.

* After picking up or dropping off your child, leave promptly so that others can get in behind you.

* If your child is not waiting for you at the main crosswalk at the end of the day, please circle the parking lot if permitted and rejoin the line or park in a designated parking space to wait. You can only park in designated parking spaces.

* Always respect traffic flow and abide all traffic laws and signs.

* Be sure to take extra caution in the winter months as road conditions may be icy and your visibility distance may be reduced. Drive slowly and always watch for pedestrians.

Ask your child?s teacher or principal to learn more about our school?s specific Kiss N?Ride

School doors rem ain locked dur ing t he school day

We wanted to share a reminder with our school community. The front doors of our school will be locked during the school day. This is part of the Safe Welcom e program, originally announced by the Ontario Government in December 2012, for all elementary schools in Ontario. As part of this program, portable doors will also be locked during the school day.

A camera and buzzer unit is located by the front door and will be linked to a monitor in the main office of the school. Anyone who wishes access to the school once the school day has begun? parents, Peel board staff and visitors? will request entry by pressing the buzzer. Staff in the main office will be able to see and speak to the person, and release the door lock to provide access.

We have long had the practice for Peel schools that all outside doors, with the exception of the front door, would be locked during the school day.While we acknowledge that locking doors will not in itself prevent all risks to the safety of students and staff, it is an important step in providing an additional level of security.

Thank you for your continued support for the safety and well-being of all students and staff in our schools.

STUDENT ABSENCES

Tim e for school - A parent ?s

guide t o repor t ing school

absences

All parents/guardians of

elementary students need to

report their children's

absences or late arrivals from

school via our automated

SafeArrival system.

Whether it is an illness or

another absence and you

decide to keep your child

home, please report your

child?s absence via the

SafeArrival system quickly and

conveniently in one of the

three ways:

- Call an automated, interactive

toll free number

?1-855-209-6155 (Please note ?

You must wait for

confirmation)

- Report absences online by

accessing the SafeArrival

parent portal on

pdsb.schoolconnect s.com

- Download the SafeArrival

m obile applicat ion for Apple

and Android devices

CELEBRATING FAITH AND CULTURE

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Month of January K'aliyee & Spirit Moon Aboriginal Spirituality

Dec. 31- Jan. 1 Ghambar Maidyarem Zoroastrianism

January 1 Temple Day Buddhism

Jan. 1 and 14(J) New Year 's Day Christianity & Canada

January 1 Gantan-sai Shinto

January 2 Mahayana New Year Buddhism

January 3 Amitabha Buddha's Birthday Buddhism

January 5 Birth of Guru Gobind Singh Sikhism

Jan. 6 and 19(J) Epiphany or Feast of Theophany Chrisitianity

January 7(J) Christmas Christianity

January 8 Seijin-no-hi Shinto

January 13 Lohri Hinduism

January 13 Maghi Sikhism

January 14 Makar Sankranti Hinduism

Jan. 18 to Feb. 5 Month of Sultan Baha'i

January 21 World Religion Day Baha'i

January 21 Vasant Panchami Hinduism

January 24 Sakyamuni Buddah's Enlightenment Buddhism

Middle School Regional Learning Choices Program s

Regional Learning Choices Programs offered by the Peel District School Board empower students by providing an opportunity to develop and explore skills in a particular area of interest. These programs are open to all students who meet the criteria for acceptance.

Inform at ion Night s

Students and their families are encouraged to attend the information night for the program of their choice to receive more information about the program and application details. If you are unable to attend the information night, program details and information about the application process are available through the school.

How t o apply

Application dates for middle school programs vary from school to school. Visitwww.peelschools.org/RegionalProgramsto learn more about our programs, application process and transportation eligibility.The application window for our secondary regional programs has closed for this school year.

Dent al Screening at our School

Where: Thornwood PS

When : January 29 - February 2, 2018

Grades: All Grades (Kindergarten - Grade 5)

If you DO NOT want your child to be screened, please visit www.peelregion.ca/dental/schoolscreening or call 905-799-7700 extension 5622 by

January 26, 2018

For more information, call Peel Public Health at 905-799-7700 ext. 5622

Or visit www.peelregion.ca/dental/schoolscreening

A dental screening is a quick assessment by a Registered Dental Hygienist who will take a look inside the child's mouth. A separate, sterilized mouth mirror is used for each child. If a child is identified, a form will be sent home and the parent may be contacted by a dental staff member. A re-screening may be required.

Peel Public Health provides dental screening in select grades in Peel elementary schools as required by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

Conference helps parents empower modern learnersThe Peel District School Board is hosting its annual parent conference, co-presented by the Peel Elementary Teachers?Local, onSaturday, March 24, 2018, at Mississauga Secondary School in Mississauga. Once again, the conferencewill focus on Empowering Modern Learners. Parents will still have the opportunity to attend workshops on topics, including numeracy, literacy, special education, technology and science.

Thisf reelearning event is open to Peel parents of students at all grade levels.

Our keynote presentation will be delivered byDwayne Matthews, a life and education strategist, who converges and shares knowledge on modern learning, disruptive technology, and the evolution of work. Dwayne will presentLearning in the 21st century: Why it's different, why it matters and how to help children thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world.

Registration opens Feb.5, 2018St ay up-t o-dat e!

For more information, visitwww.peelschools.org/parent s/ conference.

Nut r it ious lunches help children learn

Use Canada?s Food Guide to help your child get nutrients and energy needed to have a successful school day.

- Try to give your child some choice about what to take for lunch. If possible, get your child involved in preparing meals.

- Give your child a variety of healthy choices. Keeping your child interested in lunch is the first step to making sure it is eaten.

- Make the food easy to eat. If it will take your child a few minutes to unwrap a sandwich, it may be skipped.

- Resist the temptation to routinely send sweets, pop, chips and cookies in your child's lunch. Save treats for special occasions.

- Try to avoid fast food or pre-packaged, convenience lunches, which are often high in salt and fat.

- Do your best to role model healthy eating behaviours for your family.

To speak to a registered dietitian about healthy food choices, call EatRight Ontario at 1-877-510-5102.

Train More. Rehearse More. Learn More.

Peel Dist r ict School Board program of fers f lexible school opt ions for st udent at hlet es, ar t ist s

Does your child/teen have an intense sports or arts training and competition schedule that makes it difficult to attend school regularly? The Peel District School Board?s Peel Region High Performers Program will offer flexible timetabling to accommodate student athletes and artists with demanding practice, competition, rehearsal and/or performance schedules.

The Peel Region High Performers Program is available to students in grades 4 to 12 at Britannia Public School, Dolphin Senior Public School and Mississauga Secondary School.

Applicat ions close Jan. 12, 2018

For m ore inform at ion and applicat ions, visit www.peelschools.org/HighPer form ers.

Apply for French Im m ersion by Jan. 26, 2018

If your child will be starting grade 1 in September 2018, one of the important choices you will make is whether you want to consider grade 1 French Immersion (FI). To find out more about the program, visit www.peelschools.org/French

The application form for grade 1 FI for the 2018-19 school year will be available online at www.peelschools.org/French as of Friday, Nov. 24, 2017 at 1 p.m. The deadline to apply is Friday, Jan. 26, 2018 at 4 p.m. Applications received after the deadline will not be included in the random selection process and will be placed on the school?s wait list.

The FI school for our area is [INSERT: name of school]. The phone number is [INSERT: phone number of FI school].

Enrolm ent cap and random select ion process

The Peel board has a limited number of spaces available for students interested in grade 1 French Immersion. At this time, the grade 1 FI enrolment cap is set at 25 per cent of all Peel students enrolled in grade 1. A random selection process is used to determine which students will be offered spaces in the grade 1 FI program.

It is important to note that applicants are not of fered space in grade 1 FI on a f ir st com e, f ir st serve basis. A computerized random selection process will randomly assign a rank to each application that is received by the deadline.

Once students have been assigned to all available spaces, remaining students will be placed, again in rank order, on the school's wait list. Each school has its own wait list. ?

The following winter school bus safety tips will help to keep your child safe throughout the winter months.

· Allow extra time to get to your bus stop.

· Wear bright clothing so the bus can see you in the early morning and late evening.

· Stand away from where the bus stops. Buses need extra room to stop when there is snow and ice.

· Use the handrail when boarding or exiting the bus to prevent slipping on wet or icy steps or road surfaces.

· Dress properly? winter clothing, hats, and boots will keep you warm.

· Don't throw snowballs at the bus or other children waiting for the bus.

· Don't slide on the snow or ice patches in driveways or on the street.

Bus cancellat ion and closing schools due t o bad weat her

During the winter months, we may need to cancel buses or close schools because of inclement weather.

Information regarding details of cancellations or closures will be announced on radio and television stations and will also be available on Twitter@Peelschools,Facebook at

www.facebook.com/peelschools, www.peelschools.org and www.stopr.ca or by calling

905-890-1010 or 1-800-668-1146.

Help your fam ily st ay warm t his w int er

Canada Safety Council recommends the following tips for staying comfortable and preventing hypothermia when working or playing outdoors:

- Wear a warm hat? most body heat is lost through the head. Children should keep an extra hat at school.

- Wear layered clothing. Layers allow warm air to stay trapped around the body.- Protect your feet and hands. Wear loose waterproof boots. If the boots have liners, carry

an extra pair to replace damp ones or take an extra pair of socks. Invest in thick socks to keep your feet warm. Mittens are warmer than gloves. Carry an extra pair of mittens to school, on outings, etc.

- Prevent dehydration and exhaustion, which can lead to hypothermia. Drink plenty of fluids and pace yourself when doing vigorous activities.

- Stay fit by exercising and eating well? people who are fit are less susceptible to hypothermia.

- If you stay indoors, avoid moving from a hot environment to a cold one. Excessive sweating caused from an extreme change in temperature increases the risk of developing hypothermia.

- Eat high-energy food such as nuts and raisins.A balanced diet will also help keep you warm and healthy in the winter.

- If you are travelling (on the road or in the wilderness) carry emergency supplies.

Winter School Bus Safety

It 's t im e t o regist er children born in 2014 for k indergar t en

We inspire success, confidence and hope in each student? and it all starts in kindergarten! If your child was born in 2014, he or she can start kindergarten in September 2018. You can register your child at any time during regular school hours? just visit the school he/she will be attending to register.

Visit our school from:

·Jan. 29 to 31, 2018 ? from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

·Feb. 1, 2018 ? from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

·Feb. 2, 2018 ? from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

* Feb. 5, 2018 - from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

What you w il l need t o br ing t o regist rat ion

Proof of child's age (one of the following)

·Canadian birth certificate

·Canadian passport

·citizenship card/certificate

·Permanent Resident Card

·confirmation of permanent residence

·work permit

·refugee permit

Proof of address (one of the following)

·Ontario driver 's license

·utility bill

·bank statement/client slip (directly from financial institution)

·credit card statement

·federal government forms (e.g. Social Insurance Number, Service Canada documents)

·purchase agreement

Proof of custody? children must live with their parent(s) unless provided documentation supports an alternate living arrangement

Proof of immunization? proof that your child has been immunized/vaccinated

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

AT THORNWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLWOULD YOU LIKE TO VOLUNTEER IN A CLASSROOM, IN OUR SCHOOL LIBRARY, FOR

SPECIAL EVENTS?

We invite our school family members to volunteer at our school. Volunteering at Thornwood Public School can be a great way to get to know your child's school, meet other parents and

support the work that educators do in our building every day to support students.

With many upcoming exciting initiatives, we are looking to foster further connections with our Community.

Use the form below to indicate your interest in volunteering at our school. Return your form with you child to their classroom teacher at your earliest convenience and we will get in touch with you!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: ____________________________________________________ Email: _________________________________

Child's Name: _____________________________________________ Telephone Number: __________________

Child's Teacher: ___________________________________________

Place a check mark beside the volunteer opportunities that most interest you.

I would like to volunteer as a:

- reading coach- extra curricular activities coordinator: ________________________ (i.e. yoga, cricket,

soccer, basketball, hockey, sewing, board games, etc.)- food (pizza, sub, cookie, milk, breakfast snacks) distributor- special events helper (movie night, open house, education week)- library helper- classroom helper- office helper- other: _______________________________________________

Follow us on Social Media

Social media is the easiest and fastest way to stay

connected to the amazing things happening in the Peel District School Board.

Follow @Peelschools on

Twitter to:

·learn about our schools and programs

·find out if buses are cancelled during bad weather

·share the Peel smile

Follow @Peelschools on Instagram where we share motivational and inspirational #PeelProud moments.

Follow Peel schools

on Facebook at www.facebook.com/peelschools.

Our school is on social m edia t oo!

Follow us on Tw it t er @ThornwoodPS

#TPSWolfPack