Badminton

Congratulations to the Grade 7 & 8 badminton team! They represented our school last Tuesday at the regional badminton tournament and did very well. A special ‘shout out’ goes to Rachel B. & Brittany B. for winning the girls’ doubles and to Danielle T. & Elizabeth A. for making it all the way to the finals.  Thank you to Ms. Waddell & Ms. Root for their work with and commitment to the students.

Annie

Another EPS production has reached completion. Thank yous went out in last week's mailing. Now that we're done, a final thank you to everyone for giving it your all for all performances. The talent level displayed by our students and nurtured by our staff and volunteers left me ‘gobsmacked’ (the word I used during our morning announcement and which spawned some wonderful conversation and work in Mrs. Blevins’ and Mrs. Lush’s JK/SK class).  Your donations helped cover some of our production costs by raising $1400. Hopefully, you got the change to see this wonderful production.

Parent guides

Oldest and only students in Kindergarten to Grade 6 will be receiving two excellent guides from the Ministry of Education on ways that you can support your child at home with reading, writing and math skills.  These are NOT extra homework guides but instead ways to incorporate literacy and numeracy skills into everyday home life. I hope you’ll find them useful.

Class placement for 2013-14

Spring is the time when schools begin to look at their organization for the upcoming school year. Traditionally, the P.A. day in early June is set aside to look at possible student classroom organizations for the next school year. At this time, staffing for the school has not been finalized, but we do know that overall enrollment for our school is projected to decrease slightly. At this early stage, we anticipate a reduction of two English classrooms, one in primary/junior and one in intermediate. We also expect that next year’s grade distribution will differ significantly from this year’s.

Please be aware that our main priority in placing students is academic program and support. Having said that, we are also bound by certain Ministry and Board class placement stipulations.  Parents often request specific teachers. Please note that staffing is often impacted by retirements, layoffs, staffing surpluses, redundancies and teacher-requested transfers. Often, these decisions are not made public until after classes have been made. Classes cannot be constructed based on parental preference and requests for specific teachers cannot be accepted. We also, when possible, consider gender balance, social groupings, academic strengths and needs and strive to provide well-balanced learning environments.  Also, at this early stage, we believe we will be starting the school year with one straight-grade class per grade from 1-6, which limits placement options. We also recognize that our beginning structure is based on projected enrolment and could change in mid-September (more on that in a future ‘Monday Mailing’).

After having taken all of the above into consideration, please feel free to provide us with information highlighting the kind of classroom environment that you feel is best suited for your child’s learning. There is sometimes information that we are unaware of that clearly helps in student placement. Please recognize that requests are impossible to guarantee but, when appropriate, will certainly be taken into consideration as one of the many factors we consider when deciding on student placement. I may also call you to help clarify a request.

In preparation for class placement, I would welcome written submissions from parents on possible placement considerations for their child by May 31st. Feel free to send them directly to my email at peter.leblanc@ugdsb.on.ca To allow for preliminary planning, no requests will be accepted past that date.

Council Corner

Reminder

Hot lunch stops at the end of May. There are discussions about the possibility of extending by one week only for students impacted by the Canada’s Wonderland trip on May 30th. More information will follow.

Teacher Appreciation Lunch

Our teachers are the fabric of our school and we are so lucky at EPS to have such great teachers! Every year, on the last PA day in June, our parent council hosts a lunch at the school to show our appreciation. This year’s teacher appreciation lunch will be held on June 7. If you would like to donate a dish for the lunch, please contact Eileen at byart@rogers.com.  

Upcoming dates

 

May 24th

Jump/Hoops for Heart campaign finale

May 27th

Grade 4 Habitat program

 May 29th

Scientists in the School – Grade 2

 May 30th

‘Annie’ Canada’s Wonderland trip

May 30th

Grade 7 & 8 Track & Field – University of Guelph

 May 31st

2:00-3:00 p.m. – May Earth Hour  

 

June 4th

5:30 – 6:30 – Sept 2013 JK information night for parents

 

June 4th

7:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Sept 2013 Grade 7 information night for parents. Parents of students from all three area schools (Erin PS, Ross R MacKay, Brisbane) are welcome to attend.

 June 7th>

P.A. Day – No school for students

Annie

This is Annie week! We have 4 evening performances this week from Monday – Thursday beginning at 7:00 p.m. in our small gym. The show runs for approximately 2 hours, including intermission. Brisbane’s Grade 6s and Ross R MacKay’s student community will also be joining a special dress rehearsal performance on Tuesday at 11:15. Parents are welcome to attend! Please note that there is no fee for admission. Instead we ask that you pay ‘by donation’. Funds go directly to support the production. Any excess funds are channeled right back into our Arts program. I am purposefully ‘staying away’ from the dress rehearsals so that I can be amazed and impressed on first sight for both casts on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. I hope you’ll take in one of the performances. I got a sneak-peak of the cast at last week’s Dufferin Youth Festival of the Arts and they were unbelievable! On a related note, our band also ‘rocked the house’ at DYFA. A HUGE thank you to Mr. Snowball for all of his work in both areas. We would also like to thank Mme. Evans and Ms. Rowe for their work on the Annie sets. Thank you must go to Michaela Austin, Stacie Glogowski and Mary Jane Holcomb for supporting this production as well.

Information night – JK

We will be holding an information meeting for parents with children begin JK on June 4th at 5:30. More details will be sent directly to the homes of registered students.

Information Night - Grade 7

We will also be holding an information meeting for parents with children going into Grade 7 (from here, Brisbane and Ross R. MacKay) in September. This meeting will take place in our cafeteria on June 4th at 7:00 p.m. More details will follow.

Attendance

Remember, if your child is going to be absent, please call us at 519-833-9685 at our attendance extension x228 before 8:30 a.m. to let us know. Also, in addition to sending a note to the office, you can leave us a message in the morning on our attendance extension letting us know you are picking your child up early. Please note that the attendance line is not checked between 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Eco News

Recently, we had a Ministry Eco School visitor come to our school. Although we don't know yet if we are a Bronze, Silver, or Gold status school for this year, here are some of her comments:

"Congratulations on another fantastic year as an Eco School, Erin P.S.! It was inspiring to visit your school and see firsthand all of the excellent work you are doing towards environmental betterment. Strong leadership combined with enthusiastic students and dedicated community and staff support has made the impact of your Green Team visible throughout your school. You continue to achieve great results in Energy Conservation and Waste Minimization. The variety of methods that you have used to engage the school community, such as litterless Eco Heroes, creative announcements, and multiple bulletin boards are excellent ways to ensure continued success. Your School Ground Greening projects are fantastic. They will benefit students, the community, and local biodiversity for years to come. Great curriculum submissions. It is clear that your teachers are committed to incorporating environmental literacy in their classrooms. Your Environmental Stewardship initiatives are very unique. Engaging the whole school community in monthly Earth Hour and ensuring fundraisers are environmentally friendly are fantastic examples of going above and beyond the Eco Schools program. There is a strong culture of environmentalism at Erin P.S. Keep up the excellent work!"

Everyday Hero

Mrs. Dykstra will receive one of the UGDSB’s ‘Everyday Hero’ awards on May 29th at 6:30 p.m. at John F. Ross School in Guelph. She was nominated by 2 parents and a student with support letters from staff, parents and students. She is being recognized for her outstanding environmental work here at EPS! Congratulations!

From the Library

All books are due back by Thursday, June 6th. If your child has lost a book, she or he will have been given a notice to take home to you. We do not charge overdue fees at Erin but do charge for lost books (but if you later find it we are happy to reimburse the lost book fee!). We appreciate your encouragement of your child's reading throughout the summer. Studies all show that reading for pleasure has a remarkable impact on students' school success. The two local libraries of Erin and Hillsburgh will be running the TD Summer Reading Club again this year. The theme is Exploring Far and Near. We will be "exploring" some of the books on their summer reading list during Library period.

Update on our "sister" school in Africa

Erin P. S. students have collected donations from Erinspiration Week, the penny drive and last year's French Café and have $400 for the Burkina Faso school. We are ordering French/English dictionaries with this money and we won't even have to cover shipping costs. The Canadian Ambassador to that country has kindly offered to carry them with him when he visits next month!

Grade 8 graduation

The Grade Eight Students have chosen their theme for grad... Viva Las Vegas!!! We welcome parents to join our grad committee. For more information or if you are interested in helping with advanced planning or on the day of the event, please contact Mrs. Reilly, Ms. Poliseno, Ms. Waddell or Mrs. McDonald. If any parents have decor around the Vegas theme that you wish to loan, anything grade 8 appropriate would be appreciated!

Community News

Erin Agricultural Society Farmer’s Market

Opening June 14, 2013 - Erin Fairgrounds

Fridays’ From 3-7pm, children’s area
produce, food, artisans, entertainment
Classic Car Cruise Night every Friday as well
From 5pm-dusk, music, prizes and food

Upcoming Dates

Monday, May 13th

Thursday, May 16th – EPS Production of Annie in the small gym at 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, May 14th

Grade 6 Brisbane and all of Ross R. MacKay visit for Annie

Tuesday, May 14th

Grade 7 & 8 badminton tournament

Monday, May 20th

Victoria Day – School Closed

Friday, May 24th

Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart

Monday, May 27th

Grade 4 Habitat at Island Lake Conservation Area

Monday, May 27th

7:00 p.m. – library – School Council meeting – All welcome!

My apologies for the delay between “Monday” mailings. No excuses…. just an exceptionally busy time that perhaps caught me napping J I’ve heard from parents how much they appreciate the steady flow of information from the ‘principal’s office’ with the mailings so, with only seven weeks left and a likely increase in information going home, I’ll look at returning to a steady weekly email. Also note that I am always exploring ways to increase this level of communication from the office. Next year, I’m hoping to introduce a school blog as well as an EPS twitter feed. (I toyed with a Twitter feed at my previous school, but after 4 month and 3 followers, I closed the account. Of course, I will occasionally post EPS and UGDSB news on my own Twitter feed @LeBlancPeter)

EQAO

Our Grade 3 and 6 students will be involved in the Primary and Junior EQAO testing on May 27th, 28th & 29th as well as June 3rd, 4th, and 5th. This testing will take place in the mornings. We always look to minimize distractions during this time. If you have a student in these grades, please ensure that they are here on time and, if possible, refrain from booking appointments during these times.

Also, we have had 2 parent volunteers step forward as scribes. We would love to have 2 more. If scribing for a student during EQAO is something you would be interested in, please contact me or Mrs. Morris in the office.

Annie

The EPS production of ‘Annie’ is almost here! Come see the results of all this hard work. I’m excited to see the results of Mr. Snowball and his crew of staff and parent volunteers’ hard work. Our students will shine in this family classic. Come and check it out. Performance dates are on the evenings of May 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th. Entry is by donation and all proceeds go right back into support production and rental costs. We also welcome the Grade 6 students from both Ross R. MacKay and Brisbane to a day time performance on Tuesday, May 14th as their first introduction to their ‘new’ school. The JK-5 students from Ross R. MacKay will also be joining their Grade 6 peers.

DYFA

On Thursday, May 9th, our band will perform at the Dufferin Youth Festival of the Arts in Mono. This 4-day celebration of all things art-related is unique. It is an opportunity for students in Dufferin and East Wellington public, catholic and private schools to show off their artistic talents!

Bikes

Warmer weather is a great time to use a little energy, stay healthy and ride your bike to school (I’ll be making the trek in from Orangeville a few times on mine as well). It is imperative that your child remember these few simple rules:

• Helmets are mandatory.
• Our bike racks are not monitored throughout the day. Students must lock their bikes. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen property.
• Due to heavy student and traffic congestion, ALL bikes must be walked on school property during bus loading and unloading times.

Appropriate Dress

This is always a topic of great debate, especially amongst our older students. At our first Intermediate assembly in the fall, we talked to students about ‘dressing to learn’ as opposed to ‘dressing for the beach, the pool, a party or a wedding’. Please help us by stressing the following guidelines with your child:

1. Student clothing must be free of symbols of hate, gang membership, or images that portray violence, death, abuse, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, racial, obscene words, etc.
2. Student clothing must be worn such that undergarments are not visible and pants rest at or above the hips.
3. Muscle shirts, spaghetti straps and low scooped necklines are unacceptable.
4. Bare midriffs and backs are unacceptable.
5. Shorts and skirts must be of a reasonable length.

We recognize that these guidelines adjust with the age of the student.

Popcorn sales

Our Grade 8 students are selling popcorn during 1st break. The proceeds of this sale will help support the cost of their upcoming trip to Ottawa/Montreal. Sales will occur throughout the month of May. Each bag costs $2.00.

Hot lunch

Please note that our Hot Lunch program STOPS at the end of May.

TV Monitor

Our School Council supported the installation of a TV monitor in our front lobby. This monitor has two purposes. It keeps us informed of the efficiency of our solar panels by displaying current usage. This is still being set up and should be ready to go shortly. It also runs slides and pictures, updating visitors about upcoming events and highlighting student work. Thank you to Mrs. Sowler-Price and her students for keeping our information accurate and up-to-date!

Mansfield from the students’ perspective

At the end of April, our Grade 6 students and teachers spent 3 days at the Mansfield Outdoor Education Centre. Here is a sample of their own reflections about the experience:

• At Mansfield it was sooooo fun! First, we settled in our cabins. Then we did other stuff. My biggest memory was that we got lost in the forest for orienteering. The food there was great! We did some mystery games at campfire. And that's how great Mansfield was! by Sydney

• My favourite part of Mansfield was the yummy food. Another nice thing was the ropes course with the spider web and the volcano of death. One more fun thing was the predator and prey game with wolves and coyotes. We did survival training and we made a great shelter. I also liked the making fire activity. That is what I liked about Mansfield. by Jake B.

• One of my favourite Mansfield memories is getting lost while orienteering. I liked my cabin and I liked to stay in there for free time. I LOVED THE FOOD! Also, my favourite activity was the prey and predator game and I also liked woodland survival too. They taught me quite a bit. And those were my favourite memories. by Liam

• One of my favourite parts of our Mansfield trip was the Instincts for Survival game. There were diseases, top carnivores, omnivores, deer, and herbivores. Everybody got some plastic chips that were "lives". Everyone except for the deer could take lives from anyone below them. The herbivores just had to hide from everybody and try to survive! It was a great game! by Emily E.

• My all-time favourite thing at Mansfield was the food. It was awesome! I also really enjoyed capture the chicken because it was in the forest. I really really liked my cabin because my cabin was huge and we could play games in it. I really liked the low ropes inside the barn because I got to be the leader and it was super fun. One of the best things was making a bobsled course for a golfball. It was a great trip! by Riley.

Erinspiration week

DONATIONS CONTINUE UNTIL MAY 10th! (That's tomorrow!)

The donations from our ERINSPIRATION WEEK have been pouring in! We will continue to collect:

1. VOW of SILENCE donations for our adopted school in Africa
2. FOOD BANK donations for our local food bank
3. SCHOOL SUPPLY donations for the Domincan
4. MILK BAG donations for Haiti

…until May 10th.

Thanks for being the change in the world -one donation at a time!

Upcoming Dates

May 9th and 10th

Junior students treeplanting – Green Legacy

May 13th

May 16th – EPS production of Annie

May 20th

Victoria Day – School closed

May 27th

Grade 4 habitat program @ Island Lake Outdoor Education Centre

May 27th

School Council meeting – 7:00 p.m. – library – All welcome!

Due to a bottling delay, honey orders will not be available for pick up today. They should be available by early next week. When ready, your child's teacher will pass that information on through your child. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Erinspiration Week

just a few more details to help you plan your week:

Also, read about our Erinspiration week on the Board website at http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/article.aspx?id=37839 

23rd -MAJOR CHRIS BARD -2:00 assembly **please note the time change**

When Chris was a little boy he dreamed about becoming a Snowbird. In 2001, that dream became reality for him and in 2008 he was even promoted to become the Snowbirds' commanding officer. We are going to hear about the goals he set along the way and hear about some of his amazing experiences when he flew with Canada's elite pilots.

24th -9:00 ME TO WE assembly

Along with a stunning slideshow by Ms. Rowe, our ME TO WE students will be showing the rest of the school why schools across the world are standing up for human rights with a vow of silence. They will also be describing why our $2 donations this year will be going to our adopted school in Africa. We will be leaving the gym in complete silence, and for the next hour, we will be silent as a school.
**Don't forget your pink shirts and $2 donations**

25th -9:00 TANIA HOSSAIN assembly

Tania is an outreach speaker from Free the Children. She is passionate about sharing her stories in order to spread awareness about social injustices around the world. She will share the history of Free the Children and explain the incredible work they do both internationally and locally.
**Don't forget your food bank donations for the local food bank and your school supply donations for the Dominican**

26th -9:00 MIKE NAGY assembly

Mike is the chair of the local Wellington Water Watchers. He is a very well known and passionate local environmentalist. He will be speaking to the school about water conservation and how we can help. **Don't forget to wear your blue and green planet colours and bring your reusable water bottle to school too**

Please join us for any of our ERINSPIRING assemblies this week after checking in at the office!

Scribes for EQAO

EQAO primary and junior test in coming up in the last week of May and the first week of June. To support some of our students, we often train volunteer scribes. A scribe works with one student to write verbatim ideas when the writing process might impede their ability to communicate ideas. Only a small number of students are eligible to be supported in this manner. You would be required to commit to all 6 days of EQAO testing (May 27-29 & June 3-5 from 8:45 a.m. until 10:30 approximately) as well as a 1 hour training overview. Please contact Mr. LeBlanc or Mrs. Morris directly if you are interested.

DYFA

On Thursday, May 9th, our EPS band will be performing at the Dufferin Youth Festival of the Arts. Information will be coming to students directly from Mr. Snowball. The Dufferin Youth festival of the Arts has asked schools to pass on this message regarding privacy and safety:

“The Dufferin Youth Festival of the Arts is primarily an arts experience for students. Please inform parents that, for the protection of all children, videotaping/photography are not allowed. Our videotaping/photography policy is mandatory and protects the safety of all children. The festival is not open to the public. Parents of performing students and invited guests may attend if they sign in at the welcome station agreeing to abide by our videotaping/photography policy and wear a name tag with the school name on it. Seating for parents and invited guests is not guaranteed. Standing room may be available in the over flow area. Parents are asked to stay for their children’s performances only, thus allowing room for others to do likewise. “

Bio Malaise project begins

From April 22nd until May 3rd, you will notice a tent-shaped object at the front of our school. The grade 6 students will be monitoring this flying bug trap as part of a U of G Biology research project. They will be using the DNA from the bugs that we trap, and from the other 59 schools involved in the project, to monitor flying bugs across Ontario. Feel free to have a close look at the "trap", but please don't touch.

Asphalt

The dirt and gravel path that leads from our south-west yard to our Intermediate doors is no longer! The path received a treatment of asphalt yesterday during our PA Day. This will make the trek from our bus waiting area into the school a much cleaner experience. Thank you to Rick Brown, our head custodian, and Karen Epps from the UGDSB Facilities Dept. for pushing this forward.

Michael Reist

Wednesday, April 24th – 7:00 p.m. – Centre 2000 Theatre – Raising Kids with Character:

In our post-modern world, we tend to shy away from any kind of value judgements. Are there any core values that are universal and make up the ‘content’ of character? Can character be ‘taught’? This workshop will explore what is meant by character and how we instill the importance of values within our children. – REMEMBER – Free child care is provided so the whole family can attend. Doors open at 6:30. Also, our local hometown heroes will be recognized at this event!

Upcoming Dates:

• Erinspiration week – see above
• Tuesday, April 23rd – Thursday, April 25th – Grade 5 Earthkeepers trip
• Wednesday, April 24th – HPV/HEP B vaccination
• Wednesday, April 24th – Thursday, April 25th – Grade 8 orientation visit to EDHS
• Monday, April 29th – School Council meeting – library – 7:00 p.m.
• Monday, April 29th & Tuesday, April 30th – Intermediate Tree Planting – Green Legacy
• Wednesday, May 1st – Covenant House assembly – Grade 7 & 8
• Friday, May 3rd – Jump/Hoops for Heart kick off assembly
• Tuesday, May 14th – Thursday, May 16th – EPS production of ‘Annie’