Dress Codes
There was a lot of media and social media coverage about dress codes in schools this week. The school
district does has a dress code policy which establishes the guidelines for school dress codes. Each
school establishes a dress code and that's done in consultation with the school council. Often in
secondary schools or schools with intermediate grades, student councils have a voice. The dress code is
based on these principles:
(a) respect for learning;
(b) decency;
(c) cleanliness;
(d) respect for the rights and dignity of others;
(e) safety of persons and property; and
(f) promotion of a drug and alcohol-free environment.
The expectation is that administration speaks respectfully to a student or staff member who is in
contravention of the dress code to ensure they are first aware of the code and secondly, that they dress
accordingly. If you have questions about the dress code in your school, please discuss with your
principal. This is also good topic for a school council discussion
Elections and School Council Activities
In response to questions about school councils and election related activities, here's a repeat of our
recent elections information:
The provincial election will be held on June 12, 2014 and the next municipal election is scheduled for
October 27, 2014. The district does have a policy around election activities in schools which applies to
both the provincial and municipal elections. School Councils may host all candidates meetings, but must
consult with the school community AND must ensure equitable access for all candidates. Please review
policy P.122.SCO Elections Activities which governs the use and access of schools by candidates during
elections. The policy does allow for elected representatives to participate in school based activities
during the election period as part of their regular constituency duties. The policy precludes any
campaigning or campaign based events in schools during the instructional day.
Volunteer Appreciation Reception - We Want to Express our Thanks to You!
A reminder to all of our volunteers to mark your calendars and plan to attend the 2nd Annual OCDSB
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Volunteer Appreciation Reception which will take place on June 5 from 6:30 p.m - 8:30 p.m. at
Algonquin College. At the reception, five awards will be presented to recipients for the Community
Award, Distinguished School Council Award, Volunteer of the Year Award, the OCDSB Chairs Award and
the Community Partnership Award. Please take a moment to register - we look forward to seeing you
there!
Math Facts
EQAO testing is always a topic of interest! Students in Grades 3 and 6 will be writing the EQAO
Assessments dates for Reading, Writing and Mathematics from May 26 - June 5, 2014. Grade 9 students
complete the EQAO for Mathematics for second-semester and full-year students from May 29 - June 13,
2014. EQAO data provides information to the public and to the education community about how students
are developing in the essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics. The provincial assessments in
mathematics contain a combination of multiple choice and open response questions at the grades 3. 6
and 9 levels.
Ever wonder what an EQAO test question looks like? Here are some examples of a multiple choice
questions that students might see in mathematics.
Grade 3 Assessment
Look at the two pattern rules below.
Start at 1 and add 3 each time.
Start at 1 and add 4 each time.
Which of these numbers is in both patterns?
4
5
9
13
Grade 6 Assessment
A Grade 6 class is having a fundraiser. The class buys 3 bags of apples. Each bag has 24 apples. The
total cost of the 3 bags of apples is $12.24. The class sells the apples for $0.75 each.
How much money will the class gain per apple?
Show your work.
Grade 9 (Academic ) Assessment
Marcus is building a rectangular dog pen along the side of his house as shown below. Marcus has 20 m
of fencing for the 3 sides of the dog pen. What is the length of the dog pen with the maximum area?
(apologies, I cannot insert images from the example)
4m
5m
10m
12m
For more samples in mathematics, as well as sample questions in reading and writing, parents can visit
the EQAO site . Not only are their multiple samples from past years, in addition, sample student
responses have been provided along with feedback on the student work based on listed criteria tied to the
Ontario curriculum.
Boardroom News
The May Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 27th. The meeting gets underway at 7:30 in the
Boardroom. The transportation policy will be revised to provide busing to secondary students; and there
will be a report about the student survey and what we learned about bullying.
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SEAC also meets next week on Wednesday, May 28 .
A reminder that the 2014-2015 Budget process is underway. On Tuesday May 13th the [Link]staff
recommended budget was presented to the Committee. If you are interested in the budget deliberations
or want to appear as a delegation to Budget Committee, please take a minute to look at the budget
presentation and read our Budget Guide. It is expected that the 2014-2015 Budget will be approved at
the June 23, 2014 Board meeting.
Please note that the meeting scheduled for May 26th was canceled due to the limited number of
registered delegations. Delegations will be heard at the meeting on June 2nd.
Here is the Budget Committee meeting schedule:
June 2 - Committee of the Whole (Budget) Public delegations (if required) Committee debate
June 9 - Committee of the Whole (Budget) Committee debate (if required)
June 16 - Committee of the Whole (Budget) Committee debate (if required) Recommendation to the
Board for approval
June 23 - Board Meeting Approval of 2014-2015 Budget
EVENTS
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Fallingbrook Community Elementary School Collaborative Problem Solving – May 26
Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) is an approach used to help children build skills in the social,
emotional and behavioural areas. It provides a common philosophy, language, and structured process for
understanding, helping and challenging kids while building their thinking and decision-making skills. The
Crossroads Children's Centre will be making a presentation on CPS on Monday, May 26th at 6:30 p.m.
in the Fallingbrook CES library. The Crossroads Children's Centre is a fully accredited children's mental
health centre that provides services for children up to age 12 and their families. This event is free of
charge. Guests welcome.
Century Public School is hosting a POW Wow on May 28 from 5-7 p.m.
It is a gathering of First Nations People and their guests – that’s you to enjoy good food, dancing and
song. A Pow Wow is about community and remembering what is most important in life: our values, our
traditions and our strong and healthy relationships. Please RSVP if you would like to attend.
Avalon Spring Fair - Saturday May 31, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ~
Events include~Ray’s Reptiles (sponsored by the Pilon Hamilton Real Estate Team), Brad the Balloon
Guy, plasma car races & a sweet treat too! ~Jim Keay Ford is sponsoring Drive one 4 UR school Test
Drives all day as well. ~For each test drive Ford will contribute $20 to school resources.~
Farley Mowat Public School – Community Fair – May 31st
Farley Mowat Public School welcomes families to its 7th annual Mayfair! Please join us on Saturday,
May 31, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy games, the student talent show, performances, community
presentations and yummy barbecue and bake sale! There will be tons of raffle prizes to win and fun to be
had by all rain or shine. Farley Mowat Public School is located at 75 Waterbridge Drive. For more details
please visit: http://fmpsmayfairweb.wordpress.com
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Henry Larsen Elementary School – June 5
Henry Larsen is hosting guest speaker, Elaine Grout-Brown, CPA on Thursday, June 5 at 7:00 pm in
the school library. Ms. Grout-Brown will talk to parents about teaching kids about money. Registration
is free, but limited, so if you would like to attend, please confirm by email, no later than June 2~to
[email protected]. Light refreshments will be served.
Mary Honeywell Elementary – Community Yard Sale: June 7, 2014 8:00a.m. – 1:00p.m.
Mary Honeywell Elementary will be hosting their third annual Community Yard Sale on Saturday, June
7th from 8:00a.m. – 1:00p.m.~ The rain location will be in the gym.~ There will be face painting, popcorn
and lemonade as well as countless used treasures for sale.~ Tables can be reserved for $25.~ More
information can be found at www.maryhoneywellsc.ca or by emailing [email protected]
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22nd annual CHEO BBQ- June 14 at Shefford Park on Polytek Street, Gloucester. Gates open at 7:30
a.m.
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Forest Valley Elementary School Springapalooza - Saturday, June 14 10am – 3pm
Springapalooza has traditionally gathered more than 400 people to the school grounds including
community members of all ages, local businesses and MPs.~ This year we are expecting over 500 people
and have planned for firefighter displays, real pony rides, carnival games, local vendors, yard sale tables,
a BBQ and possibly a display by the Canadian Armed Forces.~ We’d love to host you in the Forest.
Bayview Public School Annual Family BBQ – June 13
Bayview Public School, rain or shine, will host its annual family BBQ on Friday, June 13 from 5:00
p.m. – 8:00 p.m..~ Games, face painting, a bouncy castle, fish pond, Ottawa Fire Department,
Ottawa Police Department and a performance by the Brookfield HS concert band will dazzle and
entertain the crowd.~ Special guests in attendance will be Ottawa City Mayor Jim Watson and
Ottawa-South MP David McGuinty.~ For more information contact Riley Brockington at
[email protected]
REMINDERS
PA DAY - June 6, 2014
A reminder to elementary parents that June 6th is a professional activity day and there will be no
elementary classes that day. For parents with children registered in one of our Extended Day Program
sites, please note that many of these sites will be offering a full-day of programming for students already
registered in the EDP. Check with your program coordinator for more details.
Interested In Summer School?
The OCDSB run an incredible summer school program which includes reach ahead, make up, coop and
e-learning programs for Secondary Students. We also offer programming for students in grades 7 and 8
in language arts, mathematics, English as a Second Language, Reach Ahead and Get Ready for Grade 9
Math courses. Take a look at our summer school video!
Information about Secondary Course Offerings and Registration
[Link]Information about Programs for Grade 7 and 8 Students
Transportation Schedule -- Summer 2014
Summer School Dates are July 3 - 25, 2014 and registration began on May 1st -- see your Guidance
Counselor for more information.
For adults not attending a day school, please call 613-239-2620 or 613-239-2772 to arrange for a
registration appointment.
Secondary Exam Schedules
It's hard to believe but the end of the school year is drawing near. Just a reminder to all secondary
parents that secondary exam schedules are posted to the school website.
The secondary exam dates for Semester 2 are June 19, 2014 - June 25, 2014.
Longest Day of Play
The Education Foundation of Ottawa, the Ottawa Senators Foundation (@sensfoundation) and the
Ottawa Carleton District School Board are proud partners in the Longest Day of Play campaign. For 24
consecutive days beginning on May 28, and ending on the “Longest Day of Play”, June 20, students in
participating schools will walk, run, jump or simply move for 60 minutes a day. At the end of the 24 days,
the students will have completed a cumulative 24 hours of exercise. This achievement will be celebrated
across the District with a symbolic “Longest Day of Play”. The official launch will be held on Wednesday,
May 28, at 2 p.m. at Roch Carrier Elementary School.
FREE prom dresses for graduating girls
Fairy Godmother of Ottawa started up in 2002, and has helped over 1500 graduating teens go to the
prom in style! Free gently-used prom dresses are available~Saturday May 10th ~and May 31st~. To book
an appointment or for more information, contact Melissa Shabinsky at 613.232.PROM (7766) or see their
brand new website that also offers online booking.
CONSULTATIONS
Proposed Bell Time Changes
The~Ottawa Student Transportation (OSTA)~has been looking for ways to improve efficiency through bus
routing. ~That can have an impact on school start times, or "bell times". OSTA has posted information
regarding proposed bell time changes as well as information about hazard zones on its website
atwww.ottawaschoolbus.ca. ~All of the changes are proposed to be implemented for school year 20152016. Public consultation will occur in April and May 2014, through open houses and presentations. The
dates, times and locations will be posted on the OSTA website as well as the board’s website. ~Parents,
guardians and caregivers are encouraged to submit comments to a special email
[email protected].