TOTTENHAM TIGER NEWS Susan Nixon, Principal Elaine Donnelly, Admin. Assistant (905)936-4951 Safe Arrival – press 1

September 2015 tot.scdsb.on.ca

This month @ Tottenham Public School

School Council Meeting & Elections – Monday September 21st at 6:30 pmALL PARENTS WELCOME…bring a neighbor!

Book Fair starts– Wednesday, September 23rd

Our first book fair of the year will commence Wednesday and continue to be open until Monday, September 28th.

Volunteer Training (all welcome) – Thursday, September 24th at 2:30pmAll new volunteers must receive training and complete a package including a ‘Police Check’ and all current volunteers must complete a ‘declaration’ form. Meet The Teacher Night – Wednesday, September 23rd from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pmAn opportunity to have an informal visit with your child’s teacher and classroom. You will be able to sign up for a formal interview in November during this evening. Spirit Wear Sales – Tuesday, September 22nd and Wednesday, September 23rd.

Picture Day – Monday, October 5th – entire school (gym)

Principal’s Message

Welcome to the 2015/2016 school year. A warm welcome to our returning students AND the many new families at Tottenham Public School. A special

welcome to our new junior kindergarten students who will begin school for the very first time on Thursday! I am enthusiastically optimistic that this new school year will be filled with innovative learning experiences, awesome opportunities to be creative, and leadership opportunities where our students can make a difference!

I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to be the Principal at this great school! I value your partnership as together we help our students to become life long learners, grow their character, and to achieve to their full potential in all that they pursue. I invite you to drop by the office to introduce yourself when you have the time and I extend a warm invitation to attend our upcoming Meet the Teacher evening on Wednesday Sept. 23rd AND our Parent School Council meetings. We value your partnership and thank you for the privilege of teaching your children, sharing their life

journey. Spirit Wear will be available for sale at our Meet the Teacher evening from On Site Printers.

I have greatly appreciated all the work by our dedicated team of teachers and support staff to prepare for their students. I also want to acknowledge the hard work by our amazing custodial team over the summer to make our school shine. A special thanks to Mrs. Donnelly, (our phenomenal administrative assistant in the office), who has been kept extremely busy with numerous new registrations and helping staff and parents to be ready for this year’s school start up. I feel proud of our school and believe that Tottenham Public School is a special place – a family away from home!

I hope that you have had a wonderful summer with your dear families and have had the opportunity to enjoy the precious opportunity to play with your children. On a personal note, I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity of spending time at our family cottage with our daughter, organizing the annual Regatta, kayaking and cycling, and enjoying the rejuvenating fresh air, the lake, and the wildlife. Summer is a wonderful time to reconnect with family!

I am looking forward to connecting with you this year as we strive to help every one of our students to reach their potential and nurturing their self-esteem and positive attitudes, to enable them to be the change in this world. Stay tuned for the exciting new opportunities that will be available for our students!

Attitude…by Charles Swindoll“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.It will make or break a company…a school…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

I warmly and enthusiastically welcome you to a new school year at Tottenham Public School, overflowing with exciting opportunities!

Sincerely,(Mrs.) Susan Nixon 905 936-4951 (27901) / snixon@scdsb.on.ca

2015 / 2016 Tottenham Public School Staff TeamKindergarten-Ms. Ibscher Gr.8-Mr. MarquesKindergarten-Miss. Palframan French-Mr. BettridgeGr.1-Miss. Black SERT-Mrs. Sandoval & Mrs. PuliceGr.1/2-Mrs. Keeler EA-Ms. Bilodeau, Ms. Craig, Ms. Selig, Mrs. van der ZeeGr.2-Mrs. Nicholl Library-Mrs. GoronovskyGr.2/3-Ms. Beatty Primary Music, Science, & Phys.Ed-Ms. Lee

Gr.3/4-Mrs. McLeish Primary Health & Phys.Ed-Mr. KlassenGr.4-Mr. Stephenson D.E.C.E.-Miss. Gertzbein & Miss. JohnsGr.5-Miss. Brinston (Mrs. Wicken) Custodians-Mrs. Zona & Mr HouserGr.6-Mr. Miller Admin. Assistant-Ms. DonnellyGr.7-Mrs. Howland Principal-Mrs. NixonStudent Accident Insurance 2015-16

Student injuries at school, during school events, and extra-curricular activities (athletics, clubs, and out-of-province/out-of-country trips) are not covered by the Board or its insurance company. While every precaution is taken to provide a safe learning environment, accidents can and do happen. It is essential that all students participating in extra-curricular activities have adequate insurance coverage for all instances of injury. The Simcoe County District School Board has selected the “insure my kids” program through Old Republic Canada as an option for students/parents/guardians to consider with regards to purchasing student accident insurance coverage for the upcoming school year. The coverage is for 24 hours a day. This insurance offers a variety of plans and benefits at reasonable annual prices. Coverage can be purchased online at www.insuremykids.com. Please watch for your student accident insurance package along with a letter about requirements for extra-curricular activities and out-of-province or out-of-country trips.

Please watch for your student accident insurance package along with a letter about requirements for extra-curricular activities and out-of-province or out-of-country field trips.

September Character Goal

September’s Character Education goal is CARING...“We show kindness to others.” Our students will be encouraged to show kindness and respectful caring towards each other. This year at Tottenham Public School, Character Education will be foundational as we review the school’s Discipline Policies to build on the positive school culture. The focus at TPS this year will be Student Leadership and respectful, considerate, caring, and cooperative behavior where students consider the importance of, “Treating others the way that they want to be treated,” in their words, actions, and body language. As a staff, we

ask for your partnership in nurturing polite manners, caring, and respectful behavior in our students as we believe that these important life skills will enrich their lives.

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

Mother Teresa

Sabrina’s Law…“No Nuts Allowed!”

Sabrina’s Law is an Act to protect anaphylactic pupils and is currently in effect at all schools in Ontario. As part of Sabrina’s Law there is a requirement that every school principal develop an individual plan for each pupil who has an anaphylactic allergy. In order to protect students within our school community to the best of our ability it is critical for parents of children with an anaphylactic allergy to do the following:

Inform the school principal of your child’s allergies

Work with the school to complete an Anaphylaxis. Emergency Plan which has child’s photograph, allergy information, contact information and emergency plan.

Provide a medic alert bracelet for your child to wear at all times.

Encourage your child to keep an epinephrine auto-injector (Epi pen) on their person when age appropriate.

Provide an up-to-date/non expired epinephrine auto-injector (Epi pen) that may be kept in the office or in a mutually agreed upon location within the school. Parents should keep a log of expiry dates and replace outdated auto-injectors.

We encourage all those within our school community to become familiar with signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and how to respond or access assistance in the event of an anaphylactic emergency. Information about anaphylaxis and Sabrina’s Law can be accessed at www.scdsb.on.ca. Together we can help

create a safe and supportive learning environment for ALL our students.

No Pets Allowed PleaseAn important reminder that pets are NOT permitted on Simcoe County District School Board property. This is for the safety and well-being of our students AND our school grounds. Thank you!

School bus ‘Bag Tag’ programhelps students get to and fromschool safely!

The Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium (SCSTC) launched the Bus Tag program in September 2014. The Bus Tag program supports safety for JK/SK and other school identified students by providing a process to match students to their assigned afternoon school bus and to also identify they must be met by a parent or guardian at their afternoon bus stop.The program provides a colour coded Bus Tag with the assigned p.m. route number to be attached to the student’s backpack and a colour coded route card with route number in the windows of the school bus that the Bus Tag is matched to.New for the 2015-2016 school year:

The SCSTC will provide access to a new tag for students who are walkers and/or remain at an on-site daycare. These tags will be printed at the school with notes specific to the student.

School Staff will update and provide walker and/or on-site daycare tags to JK/SK and other school-identified students that require either tag.

The SCSTC and Bus Operators have established policies and procedures that are used on all school vehicles to ensure students in JK/SK and other school-identified students are met at their afternoon bus stop. The Bus Tag program has been established to assist schools and school bus drivers to load students on the correct afternoon bus

and identify they are to be met at their bus stop by a parent or guardian. For more information, visit main.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca and click on the ‘Safety’ tab.September school bus safety tip - School Buses are back on the roadThe SCSTC reminds all drivers to be extra cautious in the vicinity of school buses and in school bus loading and un-loading zones. Review school bus safety tips with your child at the beginning of the school year to ensure the school bus ride is safe and enjoyable. School bus safety tips and activities are available at Elmer's Safety Village: elmer.ca/safety-village/school-bus-safety.

Safe Welcome

Safety reminder:Our school doors are locked

during the day

The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. We have a number of procedures in place designed to keep our school safe. One of the newer initiatives is that our front door is locked during the school day. All other school doors are also locked. To access the building, visitors will need to press the intercom button at the front door. Staff in the office will let visitors into the school. This will help us ensure that all visitors sign in at the office. Please understand that staff may not be available to answer the door immediately. If you have any questions about safety procedures, as always, please contact the office.

We have a number of procedures in place designed to keep our school safe.Continuing this year, our front door will be locked during the school day. All other school doors are also locked. To access the building, visitors will need to press the intercom button at the front door.

Staff in the office will let visitors into the school. This will help us ensure that all

visitors sign in at the office. Please understand that staff may not be available to answer the door immediately. This same feature is in place at all SCDSB elementary schools.

It’s important for you to know that we’ll always take whatever precautions are necessary to keep our school and students safe. If you have any questions about safety procedures, as always, please contact the office.

School VisitorsWe welcome visitors to our school and encourage you to abide by a

few requests for the safety and learning of our students. Please enter and exit the school by the front doors. ALL visitors to the building must buzz the new intercom system outside of our front doors upon their arrival and are asked to please sign in and out when leaving. Visitors and volunteers are asked to please pick up VISITOR BADGES in the office when coming into the school. All Board employees are required to wear identification tags. These badges identify all welcomed visitors in the building to students and staff. For safety reasons, all doors will be locked at all times. Any student arriving after the instructional day has begun must buzz the intercom, and enter through the front doors and check in at the office please. Please help us to protect our students’ safety by signing in and wearing a visitor’s badge.

Keep connected with your schooland the SCDSB

It’s important to get accurate information about what’s going on at your school and your school board, including possible labour situations. Please feel free to call the school at any time if you have questions or concerns.

You can subscribe to our school’s website by visiting the ‘What's New’ section at http://tot.scdsb.on.ca. You can sign up to receive emails about school news updates and information during emergency situations. It’s easy to subscribe – visit our website and click the ‘Subscribe’ link at the very top of the page. When you fill out your email and click Subscribe, an email will be sent to your inbox with a link to click to confirm that you want to subscribe. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of each email.

For Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) media releases and event information, visit the ‘News’ section under ‘About Us’ at the SCDSB’s website: www.scdsb.on.ca. The SCDSB Education Centre can be reach at 705-734-6363.

Follow the SCDSB on Twitter (@SCDSB_Schools), Facebook (facebook.com/SCDSB) and Instagram (instagram.com/scdsb) Through SCDSB’s Sharing Simcoe blog (www.sharingsimcoe.com), we share stories of some of the amazing people involved in our schools. The blog features stories and tips from our own in-house experts and experts we work with in the community, as well as good news stories about our schools.

For school bus transportation information, visit the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium’s website at: main.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca. And remember to bookmark the school bus information page at: simcoecountyschoolbus.ca for bus delay and cancellation information on inclement weather days.

How to update your contact information

It’s important we have your current contact information on file at the

school. If your email address or any other information has changed, you

can update it by:

- making changes on the Student Information Verification Form we

send home at the start of every school year

Giving back to the school community - volunteer in our school

Volunteers are an important part of what makes our school a great place to learn and grow. We value and appreciate the support of our volunteers. There are many opportunities available, including school council, breakfast clubs, reading help, assisting in the classroom or library and much more. Everyone who volunteers in a school must have a criminal record check, which includes a Vulnerable Sector Screening. Please call or visit the school office for more information about opportunities available or if you’d like to volunteer!

Parents will have access to grades & attendance info with Parent Portal!

Starting this school year, parents/guardians will be invited to create a Parent Portal account, which will give them access to their child’s attendance and, in secondary school, grade information. Elementary school grades will be added to the tool in the near future.In high school, parents will be able to see attendance information for each period, as long as it has been submitted through PowerSchool (our student database). Parents can also see their child’s grades in each course. Parents can sign up for email alerts from the Parent Portal – for example, a high school parent might want a daily email with their child’s attendance.

This fall, schools will provide parents with their login information to create an account. Parents need their child’s Student Number, as well as an Access ID. The Student Number is on the Student Information Verification Form, and the Access ID will be provided to families in a letter. If a student is 18, their

parents will not be automatically invited to create an account. The Parent Portal login page is located at: http://ps.scdsb.on.ca (click on ‘Create a Parent/Guardian Account’) or visit www.scdsb.ca.ca and click on ‘Parent Portal’ under the ‘Parents’ menu.

Extra-Curricular OpportunitiesI greatly appreciate the commitment of our staff that provides extra-curricular activities for our students. Students are asked to listen to the announcements for the days and times of practices or rehearsals. Please encourage your child to participate in some of the great opportunities that will be available at TPS!

Cross Country Running Team Terry Fox Run Flag Football Team Basketball Teams Volley Ball Teams Baseball Teams Choirs Dance Club Student Lunch Helpers Safety Patrollers Morning Announcers Student Ambassadors

__________________Parking Lot SafetyWe would greatly appreciate your partnership please in working together to ensure that our students are safe in our busy parking lot. Here are some reminders and important rules to follow please:1. MAIN PARKING LOT - Our main parking lot will be closed 15 minutes before the bell in the morning and afternoon. This is to diminish the traffic to ensure the safety of our students at dismissal and entry times and for the safe loading and unloading of our School bus.2. SECONDARY PARKING LOT – Our secondary parking lot will continue to be used for YMCA and school staff parking.3. YMCA PARKING – Reserved designated parking spaces will be available for parents dropping off/picking up their children from the Day Care Centre in our Main Parking lot. 4. BUS ZONE – Our school bus will continue to bring students into our main parking lot

Volunteer Training SessionThursday, September 24th, 2015

@ 2:30 pmFor new and continuing

volunteers!

for unloading and loading at our school’s front doors. 5. SAFETY PATROLLERS – Please obey our safety patrollers and staff supervisors AND the orange pylons that are directing traffic flow.We appreciate your support as together we can ensure that our students are safe and not put into dangerous situations.

Monthly Character AssembliesPlease plan to join us every month as we celebrate a different Simcoe County District School Board character trait. Our assemblies are held during the final week of the month and often showcase student performances. Character traits are listed in your child’s Student Agenda.I am proud of the heightened awareness regarding treating others the way that they would want to be treated that our students are demonstrating. Together, we are nurturing respectful, caring, and empathic students who want to make a difference in all that they say and do. We believe that this focus is contributing to the positive and welcoming tone in our school and we appreciate your partnership in modelling positive character traits to your children. We believe it is important to, “Walk the talk!”

Free International Languages Program! Would your child like to learn a new language or maintain their native language? This program is open to any student in Grades 1- 8, and languages offered include Arabic, Russian, Mandarin, Korean, Greek, Farsi, Tamil, German, Spanish and Urdu. Classes run Saturday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m. starting September 19, in Barrie and Bradford. To register, please visit www.thelearningcentres.com and click on “Elementary student” and “International Languages After School Program.”

English as a Second Languageregister now for fall session

Do you or someone you know want to improve your English language skills? The SCDSB Learning Centres can help. English as

a Second Language (ESL) classes for adults are offered at the Barrie, Bradford and Alliston Learning Centres. Please visit www.thelearningcentres.com or call for more information: Barrie 705-725-8360, Bradford: 905-775-4432, Alliston: 705-435-7778. Day and evening classes start in September.

Register now for Night School courses – new blended format offers online optionNight School programs at The Learning Centres offer secondary school credits in a variety of subjects for students completing their Ontario Secondary School Diploma, students who are preparing for post-secondary education and adult learners. Subjects include math, English, chemistry, biology, physics, social sciences and international languages (Spanish, Mandarin, German and Japanese).All night school courses (with the exception of international languages) are now offered in a blended format where students attend in-class sessions once per week and complete the remainder of their weekly work through online modules. Night School is offered during the following dates:

Semester 1: September 15, 2015 to January 21, 2016

Semester 2: February 16 to June 16, 2016

Visit www.thelearningcentres.com/learning-centres-programs/night-school for more information, locations and to register.

Reminder from the Health Unit:Packing a healthy school lunch

School lunches should give children the energy and nutrients they need to be ready to learn, be more alert and perform better at school. When planning lunches, keep these tips in mind:

Include one serving from at least three of the four food groups from Canada's Food Guide

Rather than buying pre-made lunch kits, make your own healthy lunch kit with divided containers and small bite-sized

cheese cubes, leftover chicken chunks, veggie sticks or fruit slices

Get your kids to eat more veggies! Try sending cucumber coins, zucchini sticks and pepper strips with dip

Don’t have them drink their fruit - send water or milk instead

For more information, call the Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-5720 and speak with a public health nurse or visit the health unit’s website at www.simcoemuskokahealth.org. Also, check out the SCDSB’s Sharing Simcoe blog post on healthy school lunch ideas your kids will actually eat: www.sharingsimcoe.com.

Safe and active routes to school

Do you remember walking and biking to school and how much fun it was to meet up with your friends, and how physical activity made you feel energized for the day?

Most Canadian children are not getting enough daily physical activity which means they’re not active enough to achieve optimal growth and development and maintain a healthy weight. Regularly walking or cycling to school is an excellent way to get the 60 minutes of

recommended daily physical activity, but few children now regularly walk and cycle to school. Children can also learn other valuable skills such as safety, responsibility, independence and an increased connection to the community. Decreased car traffic in and around the school also means increased safety and improved air quality.

In the Simcoe County District School Board, we are working with Active Transportation Barrie to positively impact student lifestyles with support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Healthy Communities Partnership Fund through the Barrie/Simcoe Cycling Club and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. Two SCDSB schools, Portage View Public School and Emma King Elementary School, are currently participating in a pilot project focused on promoting and facilitating active transportation.School Travel Planning (STP) coaches are working with both schools as volunteers, documenting barriers to active and safe routes to school and creating and implementing unique school travel plans based on data collected through classroom and family surveys. To find out more about the recommendations for physical activity and how to make Active and Safe Routes to School happen in your school community, visit www.saferoutestoschool.ca. For more information, call the Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 and speak with a public health nurse or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

Reminder from the Health Unit: School grounds are smoke free 24/7

Protect yourself and your children from the health hazards of secondhand smoke. Remember, it is against the law to smoke ANYWHERE on school property at ANY TIME. This includes smoking in your vehicle while picking up or dropping off students. It is also against the law to smoke or hold lit tobacco in a vehicle

carrying anyone under age 16. The fine for ignoring the law is $250. For more information contact the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

Ontario’s new Health & Physical Education Curriculum

The world has changed since the sexual health education section of the curriculum was last updated in 1998. Research shows that children now enter puberty earlier. Young people now have widespread access to the Internet, social media and smart phones, giving them easy access to both helpful and potentially harmful and incorrect information. Educating children with accurate and current information, and skills and strategies to help them navigate a digital world can help keep them safe and healthy. Ontario’s updated Health and Physical Education Curriculum includes sexual education. Get accurate information about the topics and concepts students learn in school – by grade level – at www.ontario.ca/hpe.

“Eye See Eye Learn”We are contacting you to ensure that you are aware of the "Eye See Eye Learn" Program in Simcoe County, launched last year by the Ontario Association of Optometrists for the benefit of our Junior Kindergarten registrants, and continuing for this September's 2015-16 school year.   

We are pleased to advise that the team at New Tecumseth Optometry Clinic are enthusiastic participants in this program, and we are looking forward to providing your Junior Kindergarten students and their families with the quality eye care they will be seeking.  We will be promoting this valuable program in the local newspapers and on social media in order to educate parents.

About ESEL®Eye See…Eye Learn provides comprehensive eye exams by local optometrists (or eye doctors) to junior kindergarten students in participating school regions. The eye exams are covered under provincial health insurance (or OHIP) when you show your child’s health card. This means that there is no out-of-pocket cost for the eye exam. If the child requires a pair of glasses, they will receive them FREE of charge courtesy of our participating sponsors.

The Eye See...Eye Learn program was developed to raise awareness among parents of the importance of having their children's eyes checked upon starting school. Children, who cannot see the board, focus on a picture or follow words in a book may struggle to achieve their full learning potential. Vision problems can also impact their hand-eye coordination for physical activities and even impact their social development. In fact, 80 percent of learning comes directly through vision.The Ontario Association of Optometrists recognizes the important link between eye health and learning, and recommends comprehensive eye examinations for all children entering kindergarten. The Eye See...Eye Learn program will help make sure our kindergarten students get the best start to learning.

The Optometrists & TeamNew Tecumseth Optometry Clinic4 Victoria St. E., Box 580Alliston, ON, L9R 1T4Tel: 705-435-2020Fax: 705-435-5031E-Mail: ntoc@rogers.comWebsite:  www.ntoc.ca  The Starfish StoryAdapted from “The Star Thrower”By Loren Eiseley 1907 - 1977

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"

"The Star Thrower" is a classic story of the power within each one of us to make a difference in the lives of others AND in the world.

This year, we challenge Tottenham students to consider how THEY can Make a Difference in this world!