The Hawk Talk

Contact us at:

Phone: 905-945-8022

Fax: 905-945-4277

E-mail: nel@dsbn.org

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

While preparing for a staff meeting, I was quickly reminded about how busy the final months of school become: basketball, gymnastics, chess tournament, Battle of the Books, preparation for track and field, Easter, preparation for Fun Fair, EQAO preparation, DSBN Road Race, Gymnas-tics, Running Club, Glee Club, Karate, Sports Stacking, Shrek Jr. The Mu-sical, Family Fun Math Night, Walk to School Event, EFN Spirit Week and Aussie X. As always, our staff remains committed to achieving the goals in our School Improvement Plan, and making Nelles School a great place to learn and grow.

We hope that you and your family enjoy a wonderful Easter. Thank you for

continuing to keep the lines of communication open. We appreciate all that

you do to support student learning.

Sincerely,

Sara De Divitiis, Principal

N E L L E S P U B L I C S C H O O L 118 Main St. Grimsby, Ontario L3M 1N8

IMPORTANT DATES TO

REMEMBER:

Pizza Days are every Thurs-day if you ordered every other Thursday the dates are:

April 9 and 23

Popcorn for sale every Tuesday for a Toonie (First Break)

Chess Tournament at Nelles

12:15—3:00 pm—April 2

Good Friday (No School)

April 3

Easter Monday (No School)

April 6

Scientist in School—April 10

Science & Technology (Gr. 7)

- April 13 and 27 at 8:45 am

Math Night 5-7 pm—April 15

Gymnastics Competition—

April 16 & 17

Earth Week and EFN Fundraiser Spirit Days—

April 20-24

Sharing Assembly at 9:30 am—April 24 (Don’t forget to wear your Character

Education T-Shirt)

School Council Meeting at

6:30 pm—April 27

Niagara Falls Art Gallery

(JK/SK) - April 30

Check out our website at: Website: http://www.dsbn.org/Schools/Nelles

S. De Divitiis, Principal

Newsletter

Immune Deficiency. Please Review Information Below

At Nelles, we have a student with an immune deficiency. This has the potential to make this student more susceptible to viruses, such as the measles. In addition, family members whom have recently undergone medical treatments may also be more susceptible. In order to keep all our Nelles Families healthy and safe, it is essential we follow the steps below. It is important to note that presently, we have had no cases of the measles at Nelles. Thank you in advance.

Nelles April Newsletter

CHESS CLUB

Good Luck to our Nelles Chess Club members who will be participating in a Chess Tournament on April 2. Team members are:

Grade 1 - Evan T, Gavin C, Justin C, Stefan G

Grade 2 - Anderson C., Mitchell M., Brandon W., Quinn R.

Grade 4 - Cian R., Hannah W., Trenton B., Sabastian L.

Grade 5 - Josef N., Ethan M., Colin G., Jack L.

Grade 6 - Jeremy V-Y

Grade 7 - Matthew C., Ryan C., Liam S., Liam B.

Special thank you to Mr. Furtney and Mr. Mac Ewen for their time and commitment spent with the Chess

Club Team.

LEGO ROBOTICS

Congratulations to our Lego Robotics team who won second and third place ribbons in their events and placed third overall in the Robotics Tournament at Club Roma on March 9. Team members include: Cian R., Isaiah R., Ethan M., Jason E., and Hayden C. A special thank you to

Mr. Rutledge for coaching the Lego Robotics Team.

GYMNASTICS

Good Luck to the following members of our gymnastics team who will be compet-ing April 16 and 17. Team Members are:

Breanne A., Ireland V., Josh V., Avery W-T., Amelia A., Nick R., Ally D., Meagan F., Hannah W., Payton R., Payton T., Emily N., MacKenzie C., Alika E., Ava C., Carson C., Colin G., Karleigh M., Kirsten St., Darian M., Emily C., Lilianna B., Lily R., Loganne L., Lucy W., Megan M., Kali E., Re-gan B., Sabastian L. Sarah S. and Taylor T.

A special thank you to Mrs. Backman and Miss Stanisic for all of their time and commitment coaching the team.

Nelles April Newsletter

SCHOOL REGISTRATION

If you have junior kindergarten aged children at home or know someone who does (who

live in our school area) please ask them register now for the new school year. Also, please

let any new families to the neighbourhood know to register their children at our school as

soon as possible. Your help is greatly appreciated.

NELLES FAMILY MATH NIGHT

SAVE THE DATE!

APRIL 15, 2015 5:00—7:00 PM

The Nelles Public School Math Team is excited to present our Family Math Night! Come out for pizza, prize draws, fun games and activities including Nelles’ own ESCAPE THE ROOM CHALLENGE.

EDUCATION FOUNDATION OF NIAGARA (EFN)

FUNDRAISER SPIRIT DAY AT NELLES

MONDAY, APRIL 20—FRIDAY, APRIL 24

MONDAY HAT DAY—BRING IN YOUR NICKELS

TUESDAY JERSEY DAY—BRING IN YOUR DIMES

WEDNESDAY PAJAMA DAY—BRING IN YOUR QUARTERS

THURSDAY GUM DAY– BRING IN YOUR LOONIES

FRIDAY SUNDAE DAY—BRING IN A TOONIE AND GET A SUNDAE

Nelles April Newsletter

April 20-24

This year our Nelles students will be participating in events to promote “Earth Day” on

Wednesday, April 22, 2015.

On Wednesday, April 27, Nelles will participate in “Lights out Canada 2015” our entire

school will turn off the power (lights, computers etc.) with the exception of necessary

lighting in bathrooms, exit lights and the gym if it is being used.

Grade 1 to 3 students will participate in school grounds clean-up. All students will be pro-

vided with latex gloves and will be carefully supervised. Primary grade students will also

be challenged to use their observation skills to create a “living things inventory” of all

plants, animals, insects etc. they view during their clean-up activity. The goal is to build

awareness as environmental stewards of the beauty that surrounds us here at Nelles.

The third “Earth Week” activity will involve a drive to collect reusable lunch containers for

the Grimsby Benevolent Fund. As part of their food distribution program to the communi-

ty, they would like to include reusable containers for children’s lunches as a way to encour-

age environmental stewardship. The GBF has asked for assistance in helping them with

this worthwhile initiative.

Our hope is that our week long activities will culminate in your own family’s celebration of

Earth Day.

Nelles April Newsletter

EQAO Dates

Please help us with our planning dates for EQAO testing and avoid booking appointments or vacations during these dates:

May 25th through to June 5th. Please con-tact your child’s teacher if you know that your child, in grade 3 or 6, will be absent during any of these dates.

Administrative Assistant’s Day

Wednesday, April 22nd marks a special day for Administrative Assistants. Thank you, Mrs. Craig, for your hard work to keep Nelles School running efficiently and help-ing to make it such a great place to be! We appreciate everything that you do!

Beamsville Legion Public Speaking Contest

On Saturday February 28th, four students competed in the Legion Speech competition. Ty-ler R. placed first and Sarah W. placed 2nd in the Junior division. Clare T. placed first and Abbey S. placed 2nd in the Intermediate competition. Tyler and Clare moved on to the zone competition and Tyler placed 3rd and Clare placed 4th. Way to go Golden Hawks!

Nelles April Newsletter

It's officially Spring at Nelles. It seems everyone has had enough of "old man winter" and we're all ready for a change

and a chance to play outside again. We can look forward to seeing flowers blooming, possible bunny sightings for

Easter and adding 17 new books to our Library, bringing our new Birthday Book total to 1,988 books for Nelles Li-

brary. This program would not be possible without the continued support of the Nelles families, Staff and stu-

dents. Thank you from Mr. & Mrs. Nethery, Mrs. Craig and Mrs. De Divitiis. March Birthday Wishes Go Out To:

Clarise D., Gr.2 - Happy Birthday Baby Mouse

Scarlett P., JK - Let's Count to 100

Lilly R., Gr.5 - Whatever After: Bad Hair Day & The Blood of Olympus

Sarah P., Gr.5 - Ungifted

Ireland V., Gr.7 - Treasure Hunters: Danger Down The Nile

Carson C., Gr.4 - Geronimo Stilton: Back In Time

Ethan M., Gr.5 - Amulet: Escape From Lucren ( Book6)

Sabastian L., Gr.4 - Big Nate: Lives It Up

Madelyn B., SK - We're All Friends Here

Avery W., Gr.1- Pippa The Pumpkin Fairy

Jack B., Gr.3 - How Technology Works

Karly K., Gr.2 - Pinkalicious & The Cupcake Calamity

Emily N., Gr.6 - Disney Pixar Treasury

Loganne L., Gr.7 - Dork Diaries: Tales From A Not So Happily Everafter

Samuel W., Gr.6 - Marvel: Guardians Of The Galaxy Junior Novel

Kelton M., Gr.5- The Terrible Two

Ava R., Gr.4 - Minecraft

Did you know: Baby Teeth are Very Important! Tooth decay is the number one chronic disease of children. Tooth decay can lead to pain, infec-tion, difficulties eating, speech problems, self-esteem issues, decrease school attendance and

poor overall health. Niagara Region Public Health (NRPH) screens approximately 25,000 students each year in elementary schools 38% of these students have tooth decay, which is unacceptably high Baby teeth are important! Early preventive care is critical in reducing the likelihood of your child developing painful and serious health problems later in life. Fluoride is not added into our water supply. Therefore, it is recommended that all residents brush their teeth twice daily with fluoridated toothpaste as soon as the first baby tooth erupts (birth to three years – rice grain size portion, three years and older – pea-size portion of fluoride toothpaste) -Floss your child’s teeth daily until age eight -Ensure your child eats a healthy diet and limits sugary drinks and snacks (ex. fruit roll-ups, gummies and juice boxes) -Children should visit a dentist every year starting at their first birthday to prevent problems from starting -Fluoride varnish and sealant applications are very effective in preventing tooth decay Niagara Region Public Health has free programs and preventive services to assist children and youth in getting the dental health care they need. For more information please call the Dental Line at 905-688-8248 or 888-505-6074, ext. 7399.

Nelles April Newsletter

WALK TO SCHOOL INITIATIVE

Nelles School has joined the School Travel Planning (STP) program. STP gets whole com-

munities working together so that students who live near their school can walk or bike

there. Several DSBN schools took part in a national 3 year pilot project that finished in

2013.

There are a few things that are going to get started as this partnership begins.

We are going to put together a Committee. Here’s who will hopefully be on the Commit-

tee: Mrs. De Divitiis, a teacher, some parents, a representative from the Grimsby Active

Transportation Committee and a Councillor from the Town of Grimsby, Mrs. Munford, the

School Nurse, Mr. Berketo from NSTS, Ms. Lee from Niagara Regional Public Health and

Mrs. McDowell, STP Facilitator.

We are planning a Walk to School event on May 8th. Watch for more information to come.

Did you know that using active transportation to get to school increases a student’s concen-

tration for up to four hours? It makes it easier for them to do things such as solving puz-

zles. A third-grade student who uses active transportation to get to school increases their

concentration to the same as someone half a year higher in grade.

Watch for further updates.

Walking Safety Tips Below are tips and helpful reminders for pedestrians to make your walks both

fun and safe. Keep these tips in mind when walking in your neighborhood to

school. The Top Tips:

1. If you have a choice about where you walk, choose a route with sidewalks or a

shoulder to give yourself space away from traffic.

2. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic.

3. Always look for cars before crossing a street or stepping off a curb.

4. Use crosswalks and follow traffic signals when crossing at street lights

5. Be predictable.

6. Before stepping in front of a car make eye contact with the driver. Make sure they

see you, plan on stopping and have time to stop.

7. You might have the right-of-way, but walk like drivers do not know the rules.

Share the joys of summer with a Fresh Air child!

Fresh Air summers are filled with children running barefoot through the grass, gaz-ing at star-filled skies or swimming for the first time. Join our New York City host families who will host Fresh Air children at their summer homes next summer, and share the beauty of your community with a Fresh Air child!

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free sum-mer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Each summer, over 4,000 inner-city children visit subur-ban, rural and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada through The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program. Fresh Air children are boys and girls, from six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Chil-dren on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for one or two weeks. Chil-dren who are re-invited by host families may continue with The Fresh Air Fund through age 18 and can enjoy extended trips. Over 65 percent of all children are re-invited to stay with their host families, year after year.

For more information on hosting a Fresh Air child at your summer home, please contact Tina Mayne at 905-984-0290 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online at www.freshair.org.

2015 DSBN Road Race – Sunday, April 26th, 2015 Come and celebrate the 12th Anniversary of the DSBN Road Race, sponsored by Meridian Credit Union! Hap-pening Sunday, April 26th, 2015 at the DSBN Education Centre in St. Catharines. 1k Fun Run and 5k Road Race for everyone! Price is still only $10 for students under 20 and $20 for adults 20+! The day includes:

Barbecue for participants Prizes for top finishers in each 5km age category Fun Fair with Niagara Inflatables Chip Time Results for 5km race T-shirts for all who pre-register Top school participation prize

Registration forms must be received by Friday, March 20th to guaran-tee your 2015 DSBN Road Race shirt! Registration forms are at your school, or can be found online at www.efnniagara.ca Come join in the fun!

Prom Project Niagara 2015 – 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 gradu-ation for FREE! This year, we are offering Prom Project Niagara at: Thorold Secondary School Beamsville Secondary School Fort Erie Secondary School If you know of a student who could use this program, please join us on Saturday, April 11

th, from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at one of our locations.

Inviting all students who are in need of formal wear for their special day! No regis-tration necessary. For more information on Prom Project please call 905-641-2929 ext. 54103, email efn@dsbn.org or visit www.efnniagara.ca