Parkway Press
Parkway Public School, 24 Duncan Bull Dr.
Brampton , Ontario L6W 1H4
Tel: (905) 451-8440
December 2016
S. Kissoon-Singh, Principal
[email protected]
D. Wong, Vice Principal (acting)
905-451-8440 x 403
H. Mason, Superintendent
905-451-2862
Kathy McDonald, Trustee
905 796 8163
Principal's Message
Time flies! Especially when you are busy and enjoying it! Especially at school when there are many engaging
and exciting activities! Our students and staff have been busy with lots of learning opportunities inside and
outside of the classroom! These include field trips, classroom projects and assemblies.
On November 6th our school choir sang at the Brampton Beast game. Many parents attended in support, and
were excited to see their youngsters perform at a winning game! On November 11th, our school came
together to observe Remembrance Day. Many parents also joined with us in this event. Our program was
filled with music, poems and reflections of caring and gratitude. For us it is always a time to remember and a
time to be grateful.
This year students’ Progress Reports was sent home on November 10th. At the interviews that followed we
discussed your child's progress at school. We also set 'goals’. Parents/guardians have an important role in
their children’s learning as we follow through with goals from these interviews. Please use these goals to
guide your child, daily.
We held our Book Fair during the week of November 14th to the 18th. Many students and their parents visited
the Fair and made purchases. This event encourages the love of Reading. On November 25th we held our
second Family Winter Dance sponsored by our School Council. This was a very enjoyable event and was very
well attended!
Our Winter Concert will be held on December 15th, with a start time of 7:00 p.m. Our dress rehearsals will be
on December 14th, with a start time of 12:15 p.m. Our Parkway Pride assembly will be held on Dec 22nd, with
a start time of 9:30 a.m.
Our School Council continues to play an important role at our school. If you are able to help us as we plan for
future council activities – please let us know at the school.
When we work together, good things will happen for our school and our children!
S. Kissoon-Singh
Principal
Important dates for December:
Primary Concert Dress Rehearsals
Primary Concert
Parkway Community Carol Sing
Parkway Pride Assembly
Last Day of school before Winter Break
First Day of school after Winter Break
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Wednesday December 14th, starts at 12:15 p.m.
Thursday December 15th, at 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday December 20th, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday December 22nd, starts at 9:30 a.m.
Friday December 23rd, 2016
Monday January 9th, 2017
The last day of school for students is Friday, December 23, 2016 and school
reopens on Monday, January 9, 2017.
DECEMBER PRIMARY CONCERT!
Parents and grandparents are welcome to attend our evening Primary
Concert on Thursday, December 15, 2016 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the
school gym. The concert involves students in Grades 1, 2 & 3. All students
will need to arrive at the school by 6:30 p.m. Each classroom teacher will be
sending a note home with information about their own class presentation.
Our rehearsal concert for the Junior students will take place on
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 beginning at 12:15 p.m. Parents who
cannot attend the evening show are welcome to attend then.
We are also collecting non-perishable food items for our Salvation Army food
drive!
DECEMBER COMMUNITY OUTREACH
The Spirit of Christmas by which people of all religions can abide is characterized by kindness, generosity and
understanding. It is this spirit that we will strive to capture this month at Parkway.
This holiday season, the Community Team at Parkway Public School, is pleased to announce this year's focus:
"The Christmas Food Train".
Starting on Thursday, December 1, 2016 we are encouraging students to bring in non-perishable food items.
These items are being collected for the Salvation Army's Food Drive.
The goal of the Food Train is for each class to collect a box of food which will be put together to make the
'Parkway Food Train'. The Salvation Army will be coming to pick up all the items collected on
Thursday, December 15, 2016.
PARKWAY PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL
On Friday, November 25th we hosted our Winter Wonderland - Family Dance
Night. It was a huge success celebrating our Parkway families!
BIG Shout out to those who volunteered their time to decorate and provided our snacks. Bold
Productions DJ – Jerome was a huge hit with the kids….. he showed us parents how to “ne-ne”
As the holidays are around the corner…. Thought of a
stocking stuffer… how about sharing the pride of Parkway
with a long sleeve quick dry shirt.
$20 each or 2 for $30 – payable by Cheque: Parkway Public
School. Send a note attention School Council with payment to
the office and we will send your order home.
Sizes: SM / MD / LG all Youth sizes
Can’t wait till the new year when Xmovement will be coming to bring two programs - X Fusion
and Aussie X to our students…. We will be having a family night so parents can participate
with our kids. So watch out for the date!!!
We on council wish all our families a safe and happy holiday break.
If you have not joined us on Facebook yet. Please come and like our page. It is a great way to
stay informed about school events and learn about Parent Council.
https://www.facebook.com/ParkwayPublicSchoolParentCouncil?ref=hl
Or follow the school on twitter - https://twitter.com/ParkwayPSPeel
Chocolate Fundraiser
The Nestle chocolate fundraiser was a great success! Thank you to all families who took
the time to sell chocolate. Your efforts have made possible many events and
endeavours sponsored by the council this year including: XMovement, movies, dances,
and the Spring Fair. All those who successfully sold a full box of chocolate were
entered into a draw for prizes. Congratulations to the all the early bird winners, and the
Grand Prize winners of the Bluetooth speakers: Alexandra & Meharwan.
PARKWAY COMMUNITY EVENING CAROL SING!
Tuesday, December 20, 2016 we are looking forward to our Evening Carol
Singing with Parkway students and families. Please meet in the school gym
at 6:45 p.m. We will walk and sing from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. then warm up
with hot chocolate afterwards. All are welcome!
SICK CHILDREN
The flu season if here! At school, we have noticed that many of our students are getting ill. We
encourage all parents and guardians to take precautions to keep their little ones healthy and well.
Please make sure that when you send your children to school they are well enough to participate in
all school activities including outdoor recess as we do not have the space or personnel to
watch children during recess breaks. We also discourage medication being brought to the
school. Peel District School Board employees are not permitted to administer medication without a
'Form A' (which is available at the school office). The Form A must be completed by a physician.
This applies to non-prescription medication as well.
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Regular attendance at school is very important to learning and the development of life habits.
Students arriving late (during or after morning announcements) must go to the office to sign in before going
to class and will be marked late.
Students being picked up and dropped off during the school day must be signed in/out at the main office.
Parents of bus students are requested to advise the classroom teacher in writing if they will not be using the
bus at 3:30 p.m.
REPORTING ABSENCES
In September the Peel District School Board implemented a new automated absence reporting system for all
students in its elementary schools. All parents/guardians need to report their children’s full-day absences,
late arrivals and/or early departures from school via the SafeArrival system.
Here is a link to the SafeArrival system:
http://www.peelschools.org/aboutus/safeschools/safearrival/Pages/default.aspx
SafeArrival allows you to report your child(ren)’s absences quickly and conveniently in one of three ways:
1. You can call: 1-855-209-6155
2. You can log into the website, pdsbschoolconnects.com
3. You can download the SafeArrival app (this is the easiest and quickest way to report the
absence/late arrivals/early departures.)
VACATION REQUEST DURING SCHOOL
TIME
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With an increase in the number of requests directed to
the
school seeking permission to withdraw students from school
because of
an impending family trip or vacation, we would like to provide the following information:
School personnel do not have the authority to sanction family vacations. This is a personal decision a
parent must make.
While trips are educational and provide valuable language experiences for children, the demands of the
Ontario Curriculum and expected outcomes are challenging. Taking trips at any time during the school year
has a direct impact on student learning for all children especially if the trip is for an extended period of time.
No time of the school year is the best time to embark on a trip. Skills and concepts are introduced at all
times, and with the demand of the Ontario Curriculum this will be even more critical, as teachers attempt to
cover all the strands in each of the subject areas.
If a student is experiencing learning difficulties, it is even more imperative to think of whether the trip is
necessary.
Although some parents ask for "work" for their child to complete while on the trip, it is unreasonable to
expect parents to teach new skills and cover missed work during their vacation. It is not possible for parents
to recreate the classroom environment where new skills are taught and reinforced in context throughout all
areas of the curriculum.
Asking teachers to provide extra work does not make up for the valuable in-class experiences that
accompany skill development. Many skills are taught in a cooperative environment, with the emphasis on
problem solving, dialogue and discussion. For example, in math, students are often asked to "model",
"transform", "infer", and "communicate their thinking" about a math problem.
Parents wishing to have their child review skills already taught may wish to consider having their child keep
a "Travel Response Journal", practice math facts, or read daily. Parents may also wish to purchase
commercially prepared workbooks which review and consolidate skills in math, reading and writing from the
local store.