February 2017 - Durham District School Board

1555 Coldstream Avenue, Oshawa, ON L1K 3B5
Tel: 905-728-5448 Fax: 905-728-5477
E-Mail: [email protected]
Principal: Mr. G. Anderson
Vice-Principal: Mrs. A. Clay
Secretary: Mrs. A. Sewell
Custodian: Mr. D. Edgar
Superintendent of Maxwell Heights Family of Schools: Richard Kennelly
Oshawa Trustees: Larry Jacula: [email protected]
Michael Barrett: [email protected]
Linda Stone: [email protected]
BELL TIMES
AM Entry
AM Recess
Lunch
PM Recess
Dismissal
7:55
9:30-9:45
10:45-11:40
1:15-1:30
2:30
Happy February. I must say we have been very fortunate with the winter weather so far, in that it
has not been too cold. We do face challenges every year as our field freezes over and sometimes
becomes a little unsafe, so we do try to make decisions each day as to whether we will use the
field or not. We also pay strict attention to wind chill, and modify the outside time accordingly.
That being said we greatly appreciate that our students do come dressed for the weather, and
our youngest students often have a change of clothes provided. Thank you all for that.
We have some staffing changes here at NGP: Mathieu Russell has joined us as our current Junior
French teacher, and Educational Assistant Natasha Thomas is working with us every morning.
Rachel Cosford has returned from maternity leave and is back with her grade 8 class.
Term one report cards are coming home on February 15th. These reports offer a great opportunity
to celebrate success and set goals for the second term. Mrs. Clay and I have read them all, and are
impressed by the effort and enthusiasm our students apply to their studies.
SAFE ARRIVAL: 1-844-350-2646
Parent Portal: attendance.ddsb.ca
Please report your child/ren’s absence or late arrival
before 7:55 a.m. daily. Thank you!
A REMINDER ABOUT AN EXCITING EVENT FOR OUR NGP COMMUNITY
Norman G. Powers P.S. Appreciation Night at the Oshawa Generals hockey game is
Sunday Feb. 12th, 2017 @ 6:05 p.m. All NGP students, parents, families, teachers
and staff are invited to watch the game AND our very own NGP Primary Choir is
honoured to be singing the National Anthem! This is always a fun time for all!
Please order your tickets quickly as time is running out! ** GO GENS GO !! **
And... it’s SUPERHERO NIGHT!!!
“On February 12th, the Generals will host a Super Hero night vs. the North Bay Battalion in support
of the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. The game is presented by 94.9 The Rock and will feature themed jerseys and a special guest, the Brampton Batman.” To read the full press release,
please visit: http://oshawagenerals.com/article/oshawa-generals-super-hero-night
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Growth Mindset in Math
In general, a growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and ‘smartness’
can also be learned and that the brain grows from experience and effort. The
opposite, a fixed mindset, is the idea that you are smart, or you are not. In
math, that translates into “some people are good at math, and some are not.”
Did you know that praising efforts rather than intelligence or results can impact
your child’s ability to persevere in challenges?! The goal is to have children
thrive on challenges and see failures, not as a sign of low intelligence, but as a
learning opportunity. Brain research tells us that making mistakes actually wires more connections into the
brain! When a person has a growth mindset, they accept challenges, see their efforts as worthwhile, and are
open to learning from mistakes. Students with a growth mindset achieve at higher levels than those with
fixed mindsets. How can you help? Some simple ways:


Adding “yet” when they claim they are “not good at this” (Respond: “You are not good at this yet.”)
Ask questions that focus on their effort and choices and get them to reflect on satisfaction of that effort
(e.g. W hat did you learn today? W hat mistake did you make that taught you something? W hat did you
try hard at today?)
Model this yourself as you share about your day.
Our Holiday Giving Trees Were Another “Tree-Mendous” Success!
Thank you to all of the families who generously donated to
our annual NGP Mitten Tree, as it was yet another great
success!
Our donated mittens, hats and scarves were delivered to
the non-profit Dreams and Wishes Foundation, along with
the “Angel Tree” donations of new/unwrapped toys—an
initiative undertaken by our own Thunder Strikers, which
was also an incredible success!
Way To Get Giving, NGP!!!
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DATES TO REMEMBER AND OF SIGNIFICANCE
February
Black History Month
11 Intl. Day of Women and Girls
In Science
14 Valentine’s Day
16 World Read Aloud Day
20 Family Day (Ontario);
World Social Justice Day (UN)
22 Pink Shirt Day
28 Shrove Tuesday
Pink Shirt Day: February 22, 2017
From humble beginnings supporting one bullied teenager in Nova Scotia came a day that has helped thousands of youth in Canada. Pink
Shirt Day has its roots in Nova Scotia, started by two incredible high school students. Here is a snippet of the Globe & Mail article that
inspired Pink Shirt Day:
“David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organized a high-school protest to wear
pink in sympathy with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied [for wearing a pink shirt]… [They]
took a stand against bullying when they protested against the harassment of a new Grade 9 student by distributing pink T-shirts to all the boys in their school. ‘I learned that two people can
come up with an idea, run with it, and it can do wonders,’ says Mr. Price, 17, who organized the
pink protest. ‘Finally, someone stood up for a weaker kid.’ So Mr. Shepherd and some others
headed off to a discount store and bought 50 pink tank tops. They sent out message to schoolmates that night, and the next morning they hauled the shirts to school in a plastic bag. As they
stood in the foyer handing out the shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face spoke volumes. ‘It
looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders,’ Mr. Price recalled. The bullies were never
heard from again.”
NGP INVITES YOU TO WEAR PINK ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22
REMINDER: Thursday February 2, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
French Immersion Information Night / Pre-Registration
Beginning in Grade 1, the Durham District School Board offers, at no additional charge to parents, a French Immersion Program for all
students. To find out more about the French Immersion Program, please join us at an information meeting at one of the following French
Immersion schools:
David Bouchard PS……..… 905-728-8271
Jeanne Sauvé PS………..…. 905-728-7997
Walter E. Harris PS…….... 905-728-4532
All French Immersion Program information meetings will be held Thursday, February 2, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. Pre-registration will begin following the meeting and will be available at the school thereafter.
For more information regarding your child’s school designation, please contact our Property and Planning Department via email at
[email protected] or by phone 905-666-6421 or 1-800-339-6913 ext. 6421.
You can also find out more about the French Immersion Program by visiting us at: www.ddsb.ca
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