Sawmill Creek Elementary School
3400 D’Aoust Avenue, Gloucester, Ont. K1C 1R5
TEL: 613-521-5922 ~ FAX: 613-521-8003
Principal: Bambi Ross
Vice-Principal: John Ioannou
Superintendent: Nadia Towaij
Trustee: Mark Fisher
Office Administrator: Lisa Wood
Office Assistant: Donna Vriend
Chief Custodian: Tony Young
School Council: Rick Goodman
Website: http://www.sawmillcreekes.ocdsb.ca/
“Educating For Success – Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship”
Newsletter - September 2015 Vol. 1
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Well September has certainly come and gone
quickly! The Sawmill community has been very
busy with several wonderful activities such as
running for Terry Fox, and School Council
Elections.
Our hallways are becoming galleries with a variety
of wonderful student work on display. Take a
minute to check out the constantly changing
displays next time you are here at the school.
I would like to welcome new staff members Amina
Nur, Katie Porter, Kumha Lee, Megan Desroches,
Andrea Rosberg, Brenda Trohon, Dawna Ferguson,
Kendel Fernie – Hart, Jessica Piribauer, Jerome
Lenique, Philippe Leounda, and Sandra Ward.
Sawmill is off to a great start - we all look forward
to a challenging and productive year.
Bambi Ross
DO YOU WANT TO RECEIVE THIS
NEWSLETTER ELECTRONICALLY? Please
make sure we have your email address in the
office.
If you wish to continue to receive a paper copy of
our newsletter please complete the form at the end
of this newsletter and return it to us at the office.
Please note that the newsletter can also be found on
our school website.
UPCOMING DATES
October 8 Harvest Dance
October 9 Professional Activity Day – NO
SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
October 12 Thanksgiving – NO SCHOOL FOR
STUDENTS
October 13 Lockdown Drill
October 14 Picture Day
October 23 Bread Festival
October 31 Halloween
November 1 Day Light Savings Ends
November 11 Remembrance Day Ceremony
November 12 Progress Reports go home
SAWMILL IS ON TWITTER
Check out our new Twitter feed
@SawmillCreekES. You can always follow us on
our website too.
SAWMILL CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
WEBSITE
Check out our website at
http://www.sawmillcreekes.ocdsb.ca/
HOW DO I SHOW OPTIMISM?
I believe that challenges are opportunities. I choose
to see goodness. I have hope for our future.
HOW DO I SHOW RESPECT?
I honour myself and others through my words and
actions. I support our diversity of beliefs. I treat our
world and everything in it with dignity.
FROM THE MAIN OFFICE…
Forgotten Items Delivered to the Office - The
office staff will make every attempt to deliver
items and messages that are left at the office
at 10:00am and again at 12:25pm however, it is not
always possible. The best practice is to ensure
that your child comes to school prepared for the
day or that they check the office when they have
forgotten items at home.
Student Attendance - A reminder to parents to
please call the school if your child will be absent or
late. A message can be left on our answering
machine at 613-521-5922. Please leave your
child’s name, the date, and reason for the absence.
Picking your child up early? Please notify your
child’s teacher with a note in the agenda. They
will then need to come and meet you at the
office to sign out. This will ensure that your child
is ready when you arrive to pick them up. By using
this procedure we can lessen interruptions to the
teaching time in classes.
SCHOOL YARD SUPERVISION
A reminder that staff supervision of the school yard
begins each morning at 7:45 in the yard. The
school cannot accept responsibility for children
who are left on their own earlier than this.
Parents and Visitors to the School
All visitors to Sawmill Creek E.S., including
parents, must sign in at the office between the
hours of 8:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and receive a
visitor tag. At the end of the school day parents
should meet their child in the front of the school at
the flag pole, rather than go to the classroom door,
parents of kinder students must meet at the kinder
yard.
Parents are welcome to visit, but all visits to the
classroom should be arranged ahead of time. If
you wish to speak to a teacher, please write a note
in the agenda to arrange a time so that the teacher
is able to focus on your visit. It is not always
possible for a teacher to meet during the school
day. Private “chats” at entry and dismissal time
should be avoided so that teachers may focus on
the students.
TRAFFIC AT SAWMILL
Now that all of our students are back into the
routine of school it is time to make sure that we are
also following good safety routines.
PARKING LOT AT SAWMILL
A reminder to all parents and guardians of the
following expectations for use of the parking lot at
Sawmill Creek.
1. Parking is only allowed in actual parking
spots.
2. Directional signs must be followed.
3. No parking is allowed in the fire lane.
4. No one is to “double park” on either side
of the lane.
5. Cars “double parked” (blocking properly
parked vehicles) in the lane may be
ticketed and towed.
6. Parking is available on the street.
7. No vehicles are allowed in the bus lane.
(except for on snow days when busses are
cancelled).
There is no entry or parking between 7:30 – 8:30
and 2:00 – 3:00. Please feel free to pull into this
area if you are visiting the school outside of these
times. Just be careful not to block the dumpsters.
Parking on D’Aoust Avenue:
A reminder to make sure you are following the
rules of the road especially when it comes to
stopping and parking in our parking lot or on
D’Aoust Avenue.
In a No Stopping Zone you are not allowed to stop,
or park to load/unload your children.
In a No Parking Zone you are only allowed to stop
if you are actively loading or unloading children.
So you can pull up to the curb as the child is
arriving and have them load immediately but you
cannot pull in and wait for your child or leave your
vehicle to go and collect your child.
City Of Ottawa By Law Officers will be actively
enforcing these expectations.
HALLOWE’EN EXPECTATIONS
Students are invited to dress in orange and black on
the 30th. They are also allowed to bring their
costumes to school and put them on for the
afternoon. Many classes will be organizing special
activities and you should hear from your child’s
teacher or child if anything extra is planned. We
would like to remind families that accessories to
costumes that resemble weapons are not welcome
at school. Also if you or your child are concerned
that a part of the costume might be fragile and
could be damaged please suggest they leave it at
home.
LOCKDOWN PRACTICE
On Tuesday, October 13th, we will be holding a
lock down practice with our School Resource
Officer. Just like we have fire drills several times a
year to make sure that we are prepared to evacuate
the building in a safe and quick manner in case of a
fire, we must also prepare for other kinds of
emergency situations. A second practice will occur
in the spring.
BREAKFAST PROGRAM
At Sawmill Creek we run a snack program for any
student who is hungry. The program is non-
stigmatizing and does not single out
participating children and youth; all children
at the school have the opportunity to
participate. If you would like to donate food or to
make a financial donation to our program please
contact Lisa Wood.
STUDENTS GOING HOME FOR LUNCH
If you want your child to go home for lunch on a
daily basis please complete the attached form and
return to the main office. This form is also
available on our school website.
LUNCHTIME MONITORS
Want to get involved with the school and earn
some money too? We are currently looking for
parents to work as lunch time monitors. These paid
positions would require a commitment to be at
school 10:00 – 10:45 and again from 12:25 – 1:10.
Please contact John Ioannou for further
information.
INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLANS
If your child is on an IEP you will have received a
form to complete as we revise IEP’s for this year.
Please assist us in this process by ensuring that you
have returned the paperwork.
TRANSPORTATION
A reminder that Kindergarten children must always
be met at the bus stop by a parent or caregiver. In
cases where no one is there to meet the child, the
bus driver will return the child to the school at the
end of the bus run. Parents are then responsible for
picking up the child at the school.
Safe Behaviour on the School Bus
Students are expected to observe the following
rules when riding the school bus:
♦Do not eat or drink on the bus.
♦Sit with your back against the back of the seat.
♦Do not stand up while the bus is moving.
♦Students may talk quietly to the person beside
them, but they may not shout or yell.
♦Students should not open windows without the
permission of the driver.
♦Students must act in a manner which is respectful
of the driver and fellow students.
Safety on the bus is always a concern. When
students do not follow the rules for riding the bus
safely, the driver will notify the Principal in
writing. The Principal or Vice Principal will
contact parents to inform them of the problem.
When there are three written notices of
misbehaviour from the bus driver, the student’s bus
privileges will be temporarily revoked.
OUTDOOR DRESSING
As the weather is starting to get colder we need to
remind students to come to school appropriately
dressed for the seasonal weather so that they are
prepared to go out for recess. On days when there
is a light mist students will be going out for recess.
Scarves and drawstrings on jackets, sweatshirts,
and other clothing can pose a danger to your child.
Incidents of snagged drawstrings or toggles have
resulted in injuries and even death. We urge you to
inspect all of your children’s clothing and eliminate
these hazards wherever possible.
available. Baked goods are welcomed. Hope to see
you here!
If your child is too ill to play outside at recesses,
your child is better to stay at home until he / she is
well enough to play outside.
School Council Fundraising Activities:
QSP Orders
Thanks to everyone who has purchased magazines
during last year’s campaign. Brochures will be
coming home over the next few days so you can. If
you cannot purchase now during the campaign
there is no need to worry as you can continue to
order throughout the year. Simply go online and
use the code 1069 to get a great deal and support
the school.
STUDENT INSURANCE
Creating a caring and safe environment for our
students is our top priority Unfortunately, despite
all reasonable precautions being taken, accidents
can still happen. Some injuries may result in
medical, dental or other expenses that are not
covered by provincial health care or employer
group plans. As a parent/guardian, you become
responsible for these expenses.
Student accident insurance is available for
purchase, on a voluntary basis through Reliable
Life Insurance Company. Forms can either be
picked up from the school office or downloaded at
www.binks.ca, or you may apply online at
www.insuremykids.com.
The OCDSB encourages all parents/guardians to
consider purchasing this insurance. If your child is
involved in school related sports activities or is
participating in any field trips of the province you
wish to seriously consider the coverage options,
which range for $13.00/year to $31.00/year. This
coverage is for the entire calendar year and also
applies outside of school hours. If you have any
questions please call Binks Insurance Brokers
directly at 613-226-1350.
SCHOOL COUNCIL
We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting
on October 5th at 6:30. We will be holding our
election at this meeting and will be looking to elect
a Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary. If
you are interested in one of these positions we look
forward to meeting you at the meeting.
All parents are welcome! Hope to see you there!
HARVEST DANCE
New this year, School Council will be hosting a
Harvest Dance for the Sawmill Creek Elementary
School parents and students. Join them October 8
between 6:00 and 8:00 pm for friendship and
dancing. Entry is free. Students must be
accompanied by adults. A tuck shop will be
PIZZA DAYS
Watch out for more information in the next few
weeks!
HOT DOG DAYS
More information will be coming soon.
POPCORN
Popcorn will be available in our front hallway
every Friday!
VOLUNTEERING AT SAWMILL
We are always looking for volunteers at Sawmill.
There is a wide variety of ways you can get
involved. Reading with students, helping with
math, photocopying, working on the school
council, helping in the library or helping with the
snack, milk, popcorn or pizza programs are just
some of the ways you can help. Please contact the
school if you want to get involved.
Please note that high risk activities or field trips
that go out of province require all volunteers to
have a valid police record check for the vulnerable
sector on file at the office. These must be renewed
each year.
Our office can provide you with a letter to take
with you to assist you in this process. This letter
should waive the cost of initiating a ‘regular’
police records check (PRC). The ‘express’ is an
additional $38 and can only be issued if the
volunteer has lived in Ottawa for more than 5
years. Please remember to bring two pieces of
identification when going to the police station.
Following is a link that details the Ottawa Police
Service locations, hours of operation and the type
of services provided.
http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/contact-us/find-apolice-station.asp
Please note: The first one listed is the new 2670
Queensview Drive (Nepean) Ottawa Police Service
location. All volunteers are encouraged to attend
this location for initiating a Police Records Check
(including the express version Police Records
Check if required).
NEWSLETTER PREFERENCE
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS
Individual student photos will be taken on October
14th. November 16th will be photo retake day.
If your child is away on the 14th they will be
provided with an opportunity to have their photo
taken on the 16th as well.
I would like to receive a paper copy of the
newsletter each month
Online ordering will be available again this year.
Go to mylifetouch.ca and order using your Portrait
ID and Access Code. Of course, you will still be
able order using the traditional order form. One of
the benefits of the online order form is that you can
mix and match portrait looks in a package. Your
children’s images will be safe and secure and only
you will be able to view them. Family plans will
not be available when ordering online.
AVIVA COMMUNITY FUND
Once again we are participating in the AVIVA
Community Fund competition to raise funds for
our 2 play structures. Our idea is called Sawmill
Creek Let Kids Be Kids Play Structure Quest. This
is an online voting competition and the idea with
the most votes wins. So we are counting on you to
vote every day. Share this with your friends so they
can easily find your idea and support it.
Tell everyone you know (and even those you
don't!) about our idea and encourage them to vote
from October 6–23.
Our idea number is ACF32460 and the website
address is
https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf
32460
We can increase our odds of getting funding by
also participating in the Broker competition. Find
a broker in our region today. Our broker partners
are leaders in their communities and can help
support our idea by voting and promoting our
cause.
My child’s name is _______________________
He/she is in ________________________
I would like to receive an electronic copy of the
newsletter each month
My email address has changed to:
_________________________________________
Signature of Parent or Guardian:
__________________________