Principal’s Message : THE ANNUAL GRADE 3 & 6 EQAO ASSESSMENT 2016-2017 The EQAO (Education, Quality and Accountability Office) is an annual assessment which takes place each May. It measures each students’ knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Students are required to do much more than memorize and recite facts. They work independently to solve problems, write responses and answer multiple choice questions; they read and respond to a variety of materials, and write for different purposes and audiences; they solve mathematical problems and explain their answers, and they apply their knowledge and skill to real-world problems and tasks. The purpose of the EQAO assessment is to provide information that parents, teachers and policy makers can use to help children to learn more effectively. Everyday teachers use tests, assignments and activities to see how well students are learning, and to make programming decisions. The Provincial test is designed to be a “snapshot of learning” used along with teachers’ assessments to give teachers and parents a clear picture of students’ knowledge and skills. The assessment measures how well students have met the provincial expectations in reading, writing and math. The students’ work is marked according to the four levels of achievement (1-4) with level 3 representing the expected standard. All Grade 3 and 6 students are required to participate in the EQAO assessment. It is based on the provincial curriculum and is considered to be part of the regular program. In very rare situations, students may be exempted from all or part of the assessment. The use of real-world problems requires students to use factual knowledge to apply, organize and communicate what they know and show what they can do by using pictures, numbers and words. While the EQAO results give us valuable information about individual students and, over a number of years, the school program, we must exercise caution when reviewing the results for the following reason: - Schools are different and serve dramatically different populations. - Some schools may have a significant population for whom English is a second language. - Groups of students, either in Grade 3 or Grade 6, may have stronger or weaker skills. - NR no report in Grade 3 at Schomberg due to the small sample size of students in 2016-17 While the results may vary from year to year, we want the long-term trend to highlight steady improvement. We are committed to a long-term plan that will benefit our students both now and in the future. Schomberg P.S. has a high-calibre, professional staff who are dedicated to the improvement of student learning. We will, as always continue to work closely with parents as partners in the education of the children we both share. C. Trute, Principal, Schomberg P.S.

Schomberg Public School Principal : Mr. Corey Trute

Elementary Office Administrative Assistant: Ms. Debbie Mitchell

School Administrative Support: Mrs. Marianne Di Febo

Trustee: Mr. Peter Adams-Luchowski Trustee

Superintendent of Education: Becky Green

Website: http://www.yrdsb.ca/schools/schomberg.ps/ Follow us on Twitter @yrsb_schomberg

OCTOBER 2017 Issue #2

REMINDER OCTOBER 20th is a P.A. DAY for Elementary and Secondary Schools in the YRDSB

Upcoming Dates: IMPORTANT OCTOBER DATES TO REMEMBER: October 3 - Picture Day 3 - Ukelele Presentation 1:45pm October 12 - Area Cross Country October 16 - Dental Health Check JK/SK/2/4/6 October 17 - School Council Meeting October 18—Bus Safety 31 - Good News Assembly—Halloween Theme

SCHOMBERG SCOOP

Halloween Safety at School

Please be reminded that the York Region District School Board’s Safe and Supportive Schools Policy strictly prohibits weapons and replica weapons on school property. A distinction is not made according to how realistic the replica may appear. Therefore, all toy guns, knives etc. fall into this category and possession on school property can lead to a suspension which could be up to twenty days. The policy applies to all students, regardless of age. Please discuss this with your children and ensure that all such toys are left at home. Laser pointers are considered potentially dangerous and therefore fall into the same category. This reminder is especially important to note as Halloween approaches. As your children choose their costumes, please keep in mind that they are not allowed to bring any replica weapons as props for their costumes.

EQAO HIGHLIGHTS—DID YOU KNOW?

Across the province, EQAO data have helped inform teaching practices and continue to serve as a catalyst for improving student achievement.

This report is intended to help foster constructive conversations about improving student achievement

and assist educators with the planning of educational strategies. -Provincial assessment results are just one of the many tools that support student learning. These

results are a snapshot of achievement and should be considered alongside school based information. Regular assessments conducted in the classroom remain the fundamental method of assessing and supporting students throughout their education.

Protecting Instructional Time to Support Student Achievement

While we know that important appointments need to be scheduled during the school day, often requiring

students to be signed out of school during instructional time by parents, we would like to request that,

where possible, efforts be made to make such appointments at times beyond the start and/or end times of

school.

We appreciate your commitment to supporting strong attendance patterns at school for your children.

Please feel free to contact the school should you have any questions or concerns.

Supervision Before/After School

Supervision is provided before school starting at 8:35 a.m. (Fifteen minutes before the school bell rings) by assigned teachers and/or school assistants. Parents are asked not to send their children to school earlier as they will not be supervised by an adult until this time (unless they attend the before/after school program)

Please note that there is adult supervision outside after school from 3:20 p.m. until

3:35 p.m. only (Fifteen minutes after the school bell rings).

Students are expected to make their way home at this time.

Understanding Assessments – Assessment for Learning Sound assessment is the basis for good instruction and academic success. Sound assessment is ongoing and is done in a variety of ways. Diagnostic Assessment helps the teacher and the student demonstrate what the student knows and is able to do prior to learning a new concept(s). Formative Assessment provides valuable information throughout theteaching and learning process. It guides instructional choices, time spent on a topic, and the selection of learning tools and resources to be used. Summative Assessment gives a measure of progress at a certain point in time, usually at the end of a unit of study. Assessment results help parents and students monitor their child’s progress. Results also help and encourage children by making a positive and meaningful connection with the classroom teacher.

Notice to Use Student Information in Public Forums

Our school would like to share information and communicate with parents by highlighting the school, students, and student work or activities in a variety of public forums for educational or education-related purposes. The following are examples only and not meant to be an all inclusive list of how student information and work may be shown: displays during school-sponsored open houses; professional development sessions; other school related activities held at the school, school district sites or at school or school district sponsored events; or school or community publications. Student’s photographs and work that are showcased will be identified using the student’s first name, last name initial, grade and school only. In order to comply with Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFOI/POP) the York Region District School Board is providing notice to parents and students of its intent to use student information in public forums.

Safety Awareness The York Region District School Board is committed to providing safe learning environments for all students. Did you know that public elementary and secondary schools across the region have been featuring activities and events that highlight various facets of safety at school and in the community. Students participate in a wide variety of activities intended to increase awareness of safety hazards and how to avoid them. In addition, as part of the Safety Awareness, all schools in York Region District School Board will be conducting emergency preparedness exercises. To ensure that all members of the school community are familiar with the emergency procedure, we have already practiced a Lockdown drill. In advance of the drill, we reviewed protocols and expectations during an emergency with all students, staff and affected partners. Please join with us in helping to ensure that student safety is a top priority throughout the year.

Next School Council Meeting

Tuesday, October 17th at 7:00p.m.

(Room 115)

Halloween is coming! Please Remember

the school’s PEANUT AND NUT BAN As Halloween is quickly approaching we would like to remind you that Schomberg Public School is a Nut Safe School. Please remember that several of our children will experience anaphylactic shock if they are exposed to even a tiny amount of peanut oil or peanut butter. In fact, some children will go into anaphylactic shock if they even smell peanuts or peanut products. When this happens, the child must be immediately injected with an epi-pen and then transported to the hospital for emergency treatment. If treatment is not given immediately, the results can be fatal. For this reason the school MUST be a PEANUT AND NUT-SAFE ZONE. What this means is that no peanut or peanut products of any kind may be brought into the school. We are asking for your assistance in dealing with these children's allergies. Talking about the situation with your children will also help, since the more information they have, the better they will understand the reality of the risk to those children with peanut allergies. If you have questions or concerns, contact your child's teacher or the school office for further information.

Parking Lot Safety We are asking for your support in ensuring the safety of our students. Please be aware of students walking/bicycling to and from the school. Thank you for your cooperation!

What is Character? Character includes the positive qualities that speak of who we are and the kind of person we want to be. During the 2017-18 school year, the administration and staff at Schomberg P.S. will be looking for students who possess a variety of qualities which will help students to be effective, to be remembered, and to become leaders. The following are the character traits that Schomberg will be focusing on this year: Respect—October; Responsibility - November; Honesty -

December; Empathy - January - Fairness -

February; Initiative - March; Courage - April;

Perseverance - May; Optimism - June

Our Meet the Teacher BBQ was a great success. Thank you to our amazing staff and parent volunteers that helped to make it happen! Thank you also to our sponsors of the event. Look for more info in an upcoming School Council Newsletter insert.

October 2017

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

2

3 Picture day

4

5 World Teacher’s Day Hot Lunch

6

7

8 9

10

11

12 Area Cross Country Hot Lunch

13

14

15 16 Dental Health Visits JK/SK/2/4/6 Hot Lunch

17 YRDSB Regional Cross Country SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING 7:00p.m.

18 School Bus Evacuation Safety

19 Hot Lunch

20 PA DAY No school for students

21

22 23 Hot Lunch

24

25

26 Hot Lunch

27

28

29

30 Hot Lunch

31 Halloween Good News Assembly 10:30a.m.