YORK REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

PINE GROVE P.S. Summer 2014

Inside this issue:

Pg. 2 Early Dismissal

Office Hours

Lost & Found

Student Medication

Are you Moving?

Pg. 3 Opening Day

Procedures

Bussing Eligibility

Pg. 4 Healthy Schools

Update

Pg. 5 Learning Commons

Update

Pg. 6 Vaughan Public

Library Information

Pg. 7 Eco Club Update

Pg. 8 Building Positive

Student Climates @

Pine Grove P. S.

Pg. 9 Keeping Pine Grove

Students Safe on

Summer Vacation

Principal:

Mr. B. Fisher

Vice Principal:

Mrs. K. Birnie

Superintendent:

Mr. J. Parappally

905-764-6830

Trustee:

Mrs. A. DeBartolo

905-898-9653

School Council Co-Chairs:

M. Ierullo & M. Sauder

Pine Grove P.S

86 Gamble St.

Woodbridge, ON

L4L 1R2

Tel: 905-850-0672

Fax: 905-850-3869

Website: www.pinegrove.ps.

yrdsb.edu.on.ca

Administrators’ Message

It is hard to believe that our Summer vacation is just around the corner. A time for

families and children to rest, relax and rejuvenate. A time to experience life and

learn beyond the walls of the classroom, whether on a family vacation, at a summer

camp, your local library or playing and connecting with your friends in the

neighborhood.

As we end the 2013-2014 school year at Pine Grove we would like to wish Miss

Baillie and Mrs. Binstock a healthy and happy retirement. They have contributed

significantly to the lives of our students during their years of service at Pine Grove

Public School. Thank you Miss Baillie and Mrs. Binstock for all that you have

done! You will be greatly missed by the staff, students and parents at Pine Grove

Public School!

In addition, we would like to say goodbye to Mrs. Birnie. She has been transferred

to act as the Vice Principal at Yorkhill Public School and Rosedale Heights Public

School starting in September 2014. She wishes to thank the Pine Grove students,

staff and parents for making her stay at Pine Grove such a positive one.

Our warmest welcome is extended to Ms. Loopstra our new Vice Principal at Pine

Grove Public School. She is excited about her move to Pine Grove and very eager

to start in September 2014. She will quickly learn that Pine Grove is an exciting

place to learn and grow!

On behalf of all the staff at Pine Grove Public School we would like to wish each

and everyone of you a safe and relaxing summer!

We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Tuesday, September 2, 2014.

Sincerely,

Brian Fisher Karen Birnie

Principal Vice Principal

PINE GROVE P.S Page 2

Early Dismissal June 26th, 2014

All schools in the York Region District School Board are committed to improving student

achievement and well-being. On Thursday, June 26th, 2014 an early release day will take

place to allow elementary teachers and support staff to take part in meetings during the af-

ternoon of that day. These meetings will allow for school staff to engage in culminating ac-

tivities regarding the review and revision of the School’s Improvement Plan as well as year-

end and transition activities that support student success.

As has been our practice over the past four years, students will attend school during the

morning of Thursday, June 26th, 2014 only. Students will be dismissed early that day

at 11:15 am. Arrangements will be made to ensure that students who are normally bussed

to and from school will receive transportation at this time. Parents whose children attend

after school child care should make appropriate arrangements to address this change in

schedule.

Office Hours at Pine Grove Public School

The office at Pine Grove Public School will close for the summer, as of 4:00 p.m., Friday,

July 4th, 2014. The office will re-open for the 2014-2015 school year on Monday,

August 25, 2014. Office Hours: 8:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.

Our office staff, Mrs. Kahr and Mrs. Skoko will be happy to assist you.

Student Medication

Please ensure that your

child’s medication or

epi-pen is picked up from the

office before June 27th. We

cannot store this medication over

the summer months.

Lost & Found

Our lost and found is overflowing!

Students and parents are encouraged to

visit the lost and found in order to claim

any lost items. Please note that items

that have not been claimed at the end of

the school year will be donated to a local

charity.

Are You Moving? Please let us know if you are planning a move. This information helps us immensely when planning for next year. Please notify the school office, or send a note with your child as soon as possible.

PINE GROVE P.S Page 3

Student Bussing Eligibility Did you know that students’ busing eligibility changes throughout their school career? Your son/daughter’s eligibility to ride the school bus may change according to their grade and distance from home to school. Be-low are the provisions for eligibility identified in the Board’s Transportation Policy #680: All YRDSB students in Grades JK-3 who live within 1.2 km of their school are not eligible for transportation All YRDSB students in Grades 4-8 who live within 1.6 km of their school are not eligible for transportation All YRDSB students in Grades 9-12 who live within a transit served area are not eligible for transportation. To view Board Policy #680 Student Transportation, please visit www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca. For more information about bus transportation and to determine your son/daughter’s eligibility please visit www.schoolbuscity.com. Busing Information for September 2014: For information about your child’s bus route for September 2014 please visit www.schoolbuscity.com the week of August 25—29, 2014 for the most accurate and up-to-date bussing information.

Opening Day Procedures

September 2, 2014

The first day of school for the 2014-2015 school year is Tuesday, September 2, 2014. We

ask that you arrive before the entrance bell rings at 8:25, as support staff and administra-

tors will be on hand to assist you as early as 8:10 a.m. Please do not come to the main office

on that morning. Remain outside and follow the steps below:

Find a support staff member or an administrator with a clipboard. They will be outside

circulating, ready and happy to share with you your child/children’s homeroom teacher.

After receiving this information, you will look for that teacher’s name which will be promi-

nently written on a large poster.

All Primary teachers will be located on the West side of the school building.

Junior and Intermediate teachers will be located at the back of the building.

Should it be raining on the first day of school, this process will take place in the school gym.

Parents, however, will have to remain outside due to fire regulations.

PINE GROVE P.S Page 3

Healthy Snack Program:

Pine Grove’s Healthy Snack Program

was run by student and staff volunteers. This

year we were able to offer a great variety of

fresh and local fruits such as apples and pears.

We also had bananas, clementines, mini-carrots,

celery sticks, mini-sweet peppers, cucumbers

and healthy grain options.

Thanks to all who helped to make this a

successful program!

Heart and Stroke Fundraiser

Our Pine Grove families have made a direct impact and a huge difference for the

Heart & Stroke Foundation by raising a grand total of $7,143.63!

Thank you to all of our families!

Walking Wednesdays

Students were invited to join

Pine Grove’s “Walking Wednesdays” again

this year.

Participants were energetic and enthusiastic

as they walked or jogged during lunch

recess. Afterwards, all the participating

students were able to attend a “make &

take” session to make their special walking

charm bracelets.

Healthy School Initiatives at Pine Grove Public School

PINE GROVE P.S Page 4

The Learning Commons at Pine Grove Public School

Reminder: Lost Library Books Thank you to all the students who have diligently returned their library books in good condi-

tion. Borrowing library books, respecting the rules of returning books and paying for lost or

damaged books is a huge student responsibility. Thank you for keeping our books safe and for

returning them so others can use them in the future!

Families are reminded that if any library books are found during the summer they are to be

returned to the library in September. If you have kindly paid for a lost book and you find

it during the summer, we will gladly return your money once the book is returned to us.

Pine Grove Public School’s eBooks

During the summer break, we encourage the Pine

Grove community to explore our set of ebooks

for our students by following these instructions:

Access our account by clicking on the

following link or typing it into your browser:

http://my.abdodigital.com/

When asked for the username and password

please use the following:

username: pgebooks

password: pglibrary

Link to Learning Website

In addition, during the summer break, we

encourage students to spend time

exploring the following website which has

been created to support and enhance stu-

dent learning at various grade levels:

www.linktolearning.com

Thank You Pine Grove Library Volunteers!

A huge thank you to all the volunteers who have dedicated their time and

volunteered in the Pine Grove library for several hours during the year. This

ongoing dedication is greatly appreciated and valued by staff and students.

We hope to see you back in September!

Reading this summer is as easy as Logging On…….

PINE GROVE P.S Page 6

For more information about Vaughan

Public Library programs please go to:

www.vaughanpl.info/

Vaughan Public Library Programs At... Pierre Berton Resource Library

Vaughan Public Libraries’ Summer Reading Club

Join Vaughan Public Libraries’ Summer Reading

Club 2014. Every child who registers for the

Summer Reading Club receives a free booklet

and passport. Collect a new sticker every week

to add to your passport!

For more information please phone

905.653.READ

Teen Summer Reading Challenge (TSRC) Returns

The TSRC is now in its fifth year at

Vaughan Public Libraries, and the teens of

Vaughan, continue to beat the challenge! If

you are the top reader in Vaughan, you

will win an exciting prize!

For more information please phone

905.653.READ

iCreate Children’s Camp

iCreate Children’s Camp will be held at the Pierre Berton Resource Library this summer.

There are some great half-day camps to choose from!

For more information please phone 905.653.READ (7323) Ext. 4340.

PINE GROVE P.S Page 5

Eco Club

June 2014

Congratulations to Pine Grove!

We have maintained our Gold status!

We have a whole lot to be proud of. A special thanks to the Eco Team and parent volun-teers who dedicated their time to this important school focus. We look forward to many new ideas next year.

"Everything In It's Place"

In honour of this monthly theme, “Everything In It’s Place”, the Eco Team ran an Eco Class Challenge. Volunteers tracked bins; ensuring that the appropriate items were in the correct bins. Student volunteers tracked lights out on Wednesdays and that classes were following through with our boomerang lunch program. Classes with the highest litterless lunch score and the highest number of reusable water bottles were recorded.

Congratulations to Ms. Mancuso's, Ms. Freeman’s and Mrs. Avsec's class for having “Everything In It’s Place”!

A special thanks to all classes this year for their efforts in helping to keep our Eco status. The Eco assessors were impressed with what they observed in the school.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support.

Eco Club at Pine Grove Public School

PINE GROVE P.S Page 7

Building Positive Student Climates at Pine Grove Public School

Student Council

Spirit Days — Speak-Up Grants — Pine Grove Olympics

This year has been a busy and productive one. We appointed a Student Coun-

cil in the fall and held monthly Spirit Days as well as a whole school Olympic

Day in March. Our strong leadership on the Student Council from our execu-

tive resulted in many new opportunities for students this year. We success-

fully applied for Speak-Up grants from the Ministry of Education which cre-

ated the opportunity to bring in the cultural performance Ache Brasil. The second grant

resulted in acquiring new equipment for the school and provided our Grade 8 students

with the opportunity to present Anger Management and Conflict Resolution workshops to

the Kindergarten and Primary students. Thank you to Desiree, Kimran and Nina, our Stu-

dent Council Vice and Co-Presidents for their efforts in these areas.

Intramurals

The Student Council also created Intramural Sports opportunities for the

Grade 5, 6, 7, and 8 students this year. Nicholas independently surveyed

each grade and determined which sport most students were interested in.

He then had students in each grade sign up a team with a team name, organ-

ized a schedule and refereed the games for all of the grades. Thank you to

Nicholas for his tremendous efforts in this area.

Playground Leaders

In the fall, we started up a Playground Leaders group again. Students interested in be-

coming Playground Leaders were trained by Desiree, Vanessa, Rebecca and Lauren. The

training focused on how to promote positive student interactions while on the playground.

Playground Leaders were taught new games, which they in turn taught students on the

playground and they also learned how to help solve conflicts in the primary yard. Our Play-

ground Leaders were out during lunch recesses for much of the year and enjoyed partici-

pating in the leadership opportunity. We look forward to starting up a new

group of Playground Leaders in the fall.

PINE GROVE P.S Page 7

Keeping Pine Grove Students Safe on Summer Vacation

Building Positive Student Climates at Pine Grove Public School

Spirit Awards

Last week, the Student Council awarded one class in each division a spirit award. Points were

earned for their participation in Spirit Days and their results in the Pine Grove Olympics.

Congratulations to the following classes for their excellent school spirit!

Kindergarten – Mrs. Chang’s class

Primary – Mrs. Kurtzman’s class

Junior – Mrs. Cayne’s class

Intermediate – Mrs. Fischer’s class

Plans for 2014-2015

We look forward to involving students in many more leadership opportunities next year. Pine

Grove students will continue to build and demonstrate their school spirit through continued ac-

tivities and events. Have a great summer!