2
Joseph Howe Senior Public School
20 Winter Gardens Trail,
Scarborough, Ontario M1C 3E7
(416) 396-6405
Mr. David Milgram, Principal
Ms. Janna Solman, Vice Principal
http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/josephhowe
JANUARY 2013
Jan. 10 Gr. 8 to 9 Parent Info Meeting At Sir
Robert L. Borden – 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Jan. 16 Gr. 8 to 9 Parent Info Meeting At Sir Oliver
Mowat 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 18 Parent Council Pizza Fundraiser Day
Jan. 18 Cafeteria Food Service Closed
Jan. 21 Parent Council Meeting – Library 6:45 p.m
Jan. 25 PA Day – Students Do Not Attend School
Feb. 1 Optional Attendance Application Deadline
Form Must Be Taken To Secondary School
Feb. 7 Grad Photo Day
Feb. 11 Report Cards Go Home This Week
Feb. 14 Notification of Acceptance of Optional
Attendance
Feb. 15 PA Day – Students Do Not Attend School
Feb. 18 Provincial Family Day
Feb. 25 Parent Council Meeting – Library 6:45 p.m
Mar. 8 Last Day Of School Before March Break
Mar. 11 – 15 March Break
Mar. 18 First Day Back After March Break
PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING
Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had an enjoyable and relaxing break over the holidays.
We say farewell to Mrs. Richards, our Vice-Principal, who will gain further experience and insight in her new placement at Charlottetown Junior Public School.
We give a warm welcome to Ms. Solman, former Vice Principal of Charlottetown Junior Public School, who will be our new Vice Principal working closely with Mr. Milgram for a smooth transition.
SOCIAL MEDIA
We continue to find numerous students who are using Facebook and Twitter to send out inappropriate messages. Many times these accounts are public as privacy settings have not been activated.
Administration, along with our School Council’s support, have had the police and a social media “expert”,
Chris Vollum, come to Joseph Howe to educate our students in the proper use of social media.
Key points included: postings can never be deleted; potential employers go onto websites to review what is being written to see if a candidate warrants an interview; schools (who are considering applicants for scholarships) and volunteer services are also looking at what your children are writing to see if your son/daughter is a worthy candidate. Mr. Vollum also provided students and parents with the necessary steps needed to ensure privacy settings are utilized. See page 4 of this newsletter or go on Joseph Howe’s website for further details.
Both the police and Mr. Vollum strongly encourage parents to know their children’s password and periodically review what is being said on line. Our general rule of thumb is, “if you wouldn’t want your parents to see or read what you have written then don’t write it”! Postings can be considered a reflection of your values and beliefs.
COLD WEATHER REMINDER
Parents are reminded to send their children to school with the appropriate outdoor clothing. The students continue to go outside each day unless there is extreme cold and wind, so it is important that students are dressed properly.
Our school’s policy relating to snow is the snow stays on the ground. We feel that throwing snow or kicking snow could result in a student being seriously injured. I don’t believe that one of our students would intentionally hurt another student. However, I’ve been at schools where glasses have been broken, a retina has been scratched, swelling has occurred to the head, and a tooth was chipped, all as a result of snowballs. SNOW STAYS ON THE GROUND!
We have made numerous announcements to the students about this policy. Students who are caught throwing or kicking snow will receive a letter home, which is to be returned to the office signed and if caught again, could be suspended from school. In addition, our field and pavement often have icy patches. Students are reminded that it is a very dangerous practice to slide on this ice or to sweep another student’s feet out from under them.
Please reinforce this with your son/daughter so we can remain accident free at Joseph Howe. Thank you for your support in helping to enforce this policy
BORDEN BTI WEEKLY
COMMUNITY MEAL PROGRAM
Sir Robert L. Borden BTI is the first school to partner with the Daily Bread Food Bank to offer a weekly community meal program right from the school. Every week, students from Borden’s Culinary Program plan, prepare and serve a nutritious, hot meal to members of the Kingston Road/ Galloway/Danzig community. Lunch is served every Wednesday from 12:00-1:00 p.m. in the school’s Maple Leaf Room and is open to the public.
DECEMBER TALENT SHOW
Thank you to Ms. Gairy and Mrs. Richards for their efforts to produce a top notch Talent Show. All who participated and attended experienced a very enjoyable event. We are fortunate to have so many talented students.
Thank you to everyone who donated items for the “basket Bonanza” to raise money for updating our technology. Technology is something that all Joseph Howe students will benefit from. Congratulations to all who won a lovely basket.
YEAR IN REVIEW
Once again this year, we will be selling a Joseph Howe Memories DVD to students who wish to purchase them. We will be establishing a committee of students who will work on this DVD throughout the year. We feel that last year’s DVD was a huge success with many great memories recorded. The DVD will not be available until the following September so we can have year-end activities included.
If you have any questions please feel free to call the school and ask to speak to Mr. Milgram.
CELL PHONES AND CAMERAS
Just a reminder to parents and students that if students must bring cell phones to school they are to be kept turned off in their lockers at all times. They are never to be used during school hours. If students are caught using their cell phones the phone will be confiscated and a parent will be asked to come into the school, at a convenient time, at which time it will be returned. In case of an emergency, students are to come down to the office and ask to use our phone.
Cameras are not allowed at school unless requested by a teacher and only to be used under their supervision. Some students are not allowed to be photographed.
PROVINCE-WIDE STATUTORY HOLIDAY
FEBRUARY 18
In 2006 the Government of Ontario announced the creation of a province-wide statutory holiday known as “Family Day”. This day will occur on the third Monday in February of each year for the purpose of emphasizing and celebrating the importance of families taking time to be together. Enjoy your day together!
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
If your child is going to be absent due to a religious holiday, please make sure that you call the absence in to the office and specify the reason. Your child will not be marked absent but specified as a “G” day which is not shown on their report card.
GRAD PHOTO DAY
Lifetouch Photography will be at Joseph Howe taking student graduation pictures on Thursday, February 7. A white shirt or blouse looks best under the graduation gown.
D. Milgram, Principal
OPTIONAL ATTENDANCE STATUS
For those grade 8 students who are considering applying for optional attendance in grade 9, please go to
http://www.tdsb.on.ca/parents and then click on programs
to find out which schools are closed to optional attendance and which schools have limited availability.
Optional attendance applications are also available from the Guidance Department.
MOWAT ORIENTATION EVENING
All Grade 8 students received a brochure called “Choices for Nine, including information for Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate’s “Orientation Evening” being held on,
January 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium. I strongly suggest that if your son/daughter is planning on attending Mowat that you attend this evening. You will be introduced to “Mowat Life”, to their programs and to their staff and students.
Mr. D. Milgram, Principal
GRADE 8 TO GRADE 9
TRANSITION MEETING
Students and parents/guardians will make important decisions early in the new year about their choice of secondary school (subject to optional attendance procedures) and course selection for next September.
We strongly encourage you to attend the Secondary School Information evenings, which will offer more school-specific program information.
In the case where you want your child to attend a school other than your home school, you will need to get an Optional Attendance Application form from your child’s elementary school and take that form to the requested secondary school by the deadline of Feb. 1, 2013. (Some specialized program schools have earlier deadlines that were announced at their parent evenings.)
Students will receive notification of acceptance at their home address by Feb. 14, 2013.
As a final thought, we urge you to keep in mind that any application to a secondary school is considered to be a pre-registration and acceptance is contingent upon successful completion of the grade 8 program. Recommendations, at this time, reflect a profile of the student’s academic achievements to date. Keep encouraging your child to work diligently throughout the year so that their best effort is communicated to the secondary school. Be involved in this process. Discuss options and future plans with your son/daughter. Let them know you are there to help them with these most important decisions.
Please see our October newsletter to check high school information dates and times.
Ms. V. Krebs, Guidance Counsellor
PARENT COUNCIL NEWS
The next meeting will take place January 21 at 6:45 p.m. in the library on the second floor. All are welcome.
Parent Council minutes can be found on our website.
PIZZA FUNDRAISER DAYS
Please note that the cafeteria food services will not be available on the days that the Parent Council will hold their pizza fundraisers. Those who do not wish to participate must bring their lunch from home.
January 18 cafeteria food services will not be available.
911 EMERGENCIES
Did you know that our 911 emergency service provides interpreters in 150 languages? If someone calls 911 and is unable to speak English, they can say what their language or nationality is and the operator will find an interpreter to translate both what the emergency is and have the interpreter stay on the line until help arrives. When the help arrives, the interpreter will continue to translate until the situation is in hand.
STRATAGIES TO DEAL WITH
BULLYING BEHAVIOUR
This is the fourth part of a series on The Bully, The Bullied and The Bystander. This month we will look at the strategies.
Teachers and parents/guardians can encourage children to:
ü Travel with friends. Two is company and
there is strength in numbers.
ü Stay away from places where bullies hang
out.
ü Avoid a confrontation by walking away.
ü Ignore the bully. If the person continues
to bother you, say firmly, “Cut it out!” or
“Stop it!”
ü Head for a crowded place if they feel
threatened.
ü Practise acting confident. Walk with their
head up, shoulders back, and look people in
the eye.
ü Not give the reaction the bully wants.
ü Participate in school activities that they
enjoy.
ü Socialize with other students and try to
make friends.
ü Talk to people they trust –parent, teachers,
friends about a persistent bully.
Ms. S. MacInnis, Guidance Resource,
School Services
FACEBOOK 101
PRIVACY TIPS
Excerpt from Facebook’s Terms of Use: WE TRY TO KEEP FACEBOOK UP, BUG-FREE, AND SAFE, BUT YOU USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT FACEBOOK WILL BE SAFE OR SECURE.
1. Your Facebook experience begins with “Adding a Friend.” Before adding a friend, however, ask yourself; “Knowing that, for the most part, the person I am adding will have access to my information and content, would I trust them alone in my own home with access to all of my possessions and information.” If they don’t pass this test, consider not adding them. If you choose to add them, apply your privacy settings so as to limit their access to certain areas of your profile.
2. What you post on Facebook is backed up and archived on Facebook servers, indefinitely. If what you post is shared by others (your Friends), it in turn can be shared even further and is beyond your control to retrieve.
3. It’s a fact that most employers, colleges and universities, and really anyone considering hiring you or having you on their team, will look to your Facebook profile to arrive at a decision, based on the quality of what you post and the nature and tone of your profile, your “Like” pages, and in some cases, your Friend List.
4. While we all want to be social and open, to a degree, “less is better” when it comes to filling out details about yourself and family members, and the quality of the content that you post (photos, opinions, videos, etc.).
5. Consider not posting content (embarrassing photos or videos, personal details, cell or BlackBerry PIN numbers) that can be used against you, or shared with others beyond your Friend list. Also, tagging Friends in photos is immediately shared with their Friends, and, depending on their privacy settings, their Friends of Friends.
6. On your Timeline page, view how your profile appears to the Public (people not on your Facebook Friends List). In the right centre of your Timeline, click the GEAR icon and “View As.” Scroll down the page and if privacy is set properly, NO information should appear within any year. If details appear, adjust your settings and posts in Activity Log.
7. To View how each of your Facebook Friends sees you, on the View As page, enter their name at the top in the “Enter a friend’s name” box. Make privacy adjustments for specific Friends by creating Friends Lists (next point).
8. Creating Friend Lists allows you to customize the level of exposure to your content that you want each Friend, or groups of Friends, to have into your profile. To create Friend Lists, on your Home (News Feed) page, click Friends on the left side to reveal existing default lists, and at the top, the ability to “Create List.” As lists are unlimited, create as many lists as you wish to separate your different Friends and Interests.