GUIDANCE at THE VALLEYS
YLCC (Youth Leadership Camp of Canada) On Thursday October 25th, grade 8 students will participate in team building and leadership activities at an outdoor education centre near Orillia. Students will leave at 8:30am and will return to The Valleys School at 9:30pm. Please ensure that you (the parent) have made arrangements for a timely pick-up of your child.
High School Information for Grade 8 Parents & Students
Parents of the grade 8 students at The Valleys are invited to attend our information night on Thursday, October 18th, 2012 at 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
· An overview of our Home High Schools (T.L. Kennedy and Applewood)
· Regional Program Information (International Business and Technology, Flexography, Science and Technology, School of the Arts, Vocational and Skilled Trades and International Baccalaureate)
· A handout will be provided with dates of Peel District School Board High School Open Houses, requirements for Regional Programs and Deadlines.
· Some time will be available at the end of the meeting to ask questions specific to your child.
Ms. Cunningham and Mrs. Pilacinski are available for individual consultation, by office appointment.
Library in a Paragraph by Ms. Mulcaster
Welcome back to the library for another exciting year full of reading and technology! Please welcome Ms. Pilacinski to the library team this year – she will be joining Ms. Mulcaster most mornings.
New to the library this year will be a collection of comic books that will arrive next month – we will continue to add to this collection as the year progresses. Ms. Mulcaster’s focus this year is to also add to our graphic novel collection – be on the lookout next month!
The release of Mark of Athena is fast approaching! (Oct. 2nd) Ms. Mulcaster will be ordering five copies of this book – it will be available for checkout on Oct. 3rd. Come quickly, because they will go fast! In the meantime, review the first two books in this series by reading The Lost Hero, and Son of Neptune.
Technology is alive and well in the library. In addition to our netbook cart, we also have 20 Ipod touches for use in classrooms. We are excited to use these for educational gain. Remember in order to sign out these technology items, you must hand in your student card or agenda to your teacher.
As always, Library in a Paragraph is so much more than just one paragraph. I just can’t help it! I am very excited to have you with me this year and look forward to all the wonderful things we will do together.
THE VALLEYS WE CLUB - The IG Communities Speaking Tour by Free the Children
Michael and Jennie from Free the Children will present The IG Communities Speaking Tour to the staff and students of The Valleys Sr. P.S. on Friday, Oct. 5. The speakers, through their personal stories and a multimedia presentation, will inspire students and challenge them to assess their role in creating positive change in the global community. This will be followed by interactive leadership workshops which will be attended by the members of the We Club.
Poetry Contest
Poems by the following students have been selected for publication by Creative Communication:
Tanveer Mohan – Non-violenceMehwish Siddiqui – A Recipe for a Flower
Demetre Alissandratos – My Family / Shubham Gupta – Vipers
Heta Mistry – Friendship
Owais Siddiqui - Automobile
Here are just two of the poems:
A Recipe for a FlowerTake one cup of Mom’s perfume,
Put in a teaspoon of beauty to make it bloom.
In go some roots and a leaf.
Mix this together with seeds of growth and belief,
Until you see some petals and a stem.
Pour in water and a sun to shine on them.
Bake in a tray of rich-looking soil
At 125 degrees, but don’t let it spoil!
You can tell it is done when a bee passes by.
Serve with a plate of green grass on the side.
Mehwish Siddiqui (Gr. 8) / Non- Violence
Take peace, responsibility, cooperation and caring.
Place all these ingredients in the bowl of unity.
Mix with the ladle of humility, perseverance, calmness, forbearance and compassion
Until it looks like a dough of friendship.
Drop the friendship into a tray of patience and charity.
Bake in an oven of affection at 200 degrees until you hear a sound of joy.
You can tell it’s done when you smell equanimity.
Let it stand warm until you feel serenity.
Add the sauce of tranquility.
Slice and serve to all.
The taste is bliss!
Tanveer Mohan (Gr. 7)
ATTENDANCE & SYNREVOICE
Just a reminder to parents to please call the school 905-275-5125 when your child will be away or will be late. Our Synrevoice system will be used to call home if students are absent and we have not heard from a parent, as part of our safe arrival system. We will also on occasion use synrevoice to call home with messages/announcements about special events happening at the school.
VOICEMAIL
The Valleys now has a voicemail system where you can call into the school and leave a message for your child’s teacher.
School Website
In an effort to communicate with our parents we have been working to keep our website up to date, especially our calendar of events. We do plan to post newsletters and school council updates as well. If you would like to sign up for an alert for any updates to our website please go to http://schools.peelschools.org/1354 and click on the subscribe link on the left hand column. You will receive an email anytime we update something on our website.
VISITORS
Please remember to check in at the office whenever you are visiting the school. We ask that parents arrange an outdoor location where they can meet their children for pick up.
KISS n’ Ride
We ask all parents to use the kiss n’ ride lane at the front of our school for drop off and pick up of students. This is a safe and supervised area for your child. Many parents have been using the community centre driveway to wait for their children which tends to cause traffic congestion and an unsafe area for students to make their way to the car.
Celebrate World Teacher Appreciation Day
Since 1994, parents and students from around the world have celebrated World Teacher Appreciation Day (Friday, October 5, 2012) to commemorate the work of teachers and their contributions to society. Please take the time to let your child's teacher know he or she is truly appreciated. Thank your child's teacher and let them know they are making a difference.
Procedures to keep students safe
Peel schools provide a safe environment for students and staff to learn and work. Staff have been trained on what to do if faced with an emergency situation. Here are the responses schools may take to an emergency situation, depending on the type of threat.
A school will initiate a lockdown if there is a major incident or threat of violence in or near the school. During a lockdown students and staff inside the school will:
· go to the closest room, close the door and lock it, if possible
· turn off the lights and lie down on the floor away from doors and windows
· remain on the floor quietly until further directions are given
Students and staff outside the school will:
· move as far away from the building as possible
· remain outside until further directions are given
Every school will review the key points of the lockdown process with students. The drill is rehearsed twice per year to make sure staff and students know what to do in the unlikely event of a real lockdown.
The term hold & secure will be used when it is necessary to secure the school because of a situation outside and not related to the school. During hold & secure, classes continue normally inside the school, with the exception that all exterior doors and windows are locked and no one enters or exits the building without approval from police or the school. This means parents/guardians will not be allowed to enter the building.
The term shelter in place will be used for an environmental or weather-related situation where it is necessary to keep everyone within the school to protect them from an external situation. During shelter in place, no one will be allowed to exit the building.
IMPORTANT DATES
October 4 / Picture Retake DayOctober 5 / World Teacher Appreciation Day
October 8 / Thanksgiving – no school for students
October 18 / Gr. 8 High School Open House – 6:30 – 7:30 pm
October 25 / Gr. 8 Trip to Youth Leadership Camp (YLCC)
November 6 / Progress Report Home
November 9 / Remembrance Day Recognition
November 15 (evening) / Parent – Teacher Conferences
November 16 / Parent – Teacher Conferences – no school for students
MESSAGE FROM THE ADMINISTRATION
Welcome to The Valleys. As always we have begun an exciting year of learning, both in and out of the building, with all of our new and returning students and families. This year we have challenged our students to make a difference – whether it is with a peer or a cause or as an individual or a group – we want our students to make a difference in someone’s life. As an extension to the Peel Character Attributes, we encourage our students to walk in another’s shoes and be empathetic. “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop” (Mother Teresa).
Each student has received an agenda/organizer that contains essential information. It is the most consistent tool for communicating with parents. Please review it daily. As well, take note of our Discipline Policy, Code of Conduct, Dress Code and Lunch Options. Please note that your signature is required in many of these areas. The guidelines provided in this agenda, if followed, will definitely influence your child's success at school.
Our trustee is Mrs. Sue Lawton (905-625-8084) and our Superintendent of Education is Mr. Anthony Edwards (905-366-8800). Mrs. Holdaway and Ms. Romanchuk are the professional voices answering the phones and greeting you in the office. We look forward to our work together as we have planned for a successful year of academic and social growth for your child.
Gaye Clarke and Christine Majeau
Principal Vice-Principal
SCHOOL YEAR - ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARYThe school year begins / September 4, 2012
The school year ends / June 28, 2013
The first day of classes / September 4, 2012
The number of instructional days for elementary and secondary students / 188
The number of professional activity days for the elementary and secondary panel / 6
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS - ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
Labour Day / September 3, 2012Thanksgiving Day / October 8, 2012
Winter Break (inclusive) / December 24, 2012 – January 4, 2013
Family Day / February 18, 2013
Spring Break (inclusive) / March 11 – 15, 2013
Good Friday / March 29, 2013
Easter Monday / April 1, 2013
Victoria Day / May 20, 2013
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY DAYS - ELEMENTARY (6)
Professional Learning Day / September 14, 2012
In-school professional activity/ reorganization/teacher planning / September 25, 2012
Reporting to Parents / November 16, 2012
Report Card Writing/Assessment Day / January 21, 2013
Professional Learning Day / May 13, 2013
Report Card Writing/Assessment Day / June 7, 2013