Sir Samuel Steele p. S.
55 Bakerville St., Whitby ON L1R 2S6
Phone: 905-723-2944 Fax: 905-723-0297
Email: [email protected]
www.sirsamsteele.ddsbschools.ca
Principal: J. Knox Vice Principal: L. Peck
Administrative Assistants: Christine Kirton & Jennie Klan
September 2016
Superintendent
J. Markovski
905-666-5500
Administrative Officer
G. Island
905-666-5500
Hello from the Office!
Welcome back to a new and exciting school year!
It is wonderful to see everyone back at school looking
healthy and happy and ready for new beginnings.
Mr. Knox, our Principal and staff of Sir Samuel
Steele PS, also send a special hello to all our new
students and their families. Please be sure and stop by
and introduce yourself at school events.
We welcome our newest staff members: Mrs.
Sigsworth to grade 6 and Mrs. Peck to the role of
Vice-principal. We would also like to welcome back
Mr. Craigen to grade 4. We welcome them to our Sir
Sam Steele team wish them all the best in their new
endeavors.
Have a great year everyone!
Please make sure you have signed up for School Cash
Online, for our pizza, sub and cookie orders.
Please return student verification forms as soon as
possible, we need to have current information on file.
Trustees
C. Winters – 905-430-6050
K. Zeppieri – 905-668-7782
Dates to Remember
Sept. 21 Sub Day
Sept. 21 to 25 School Safety Week
Sept. 26 Milk Program Starts
Sept. 27 Lockdown Drill
Sept. 28 Pizza Day
Sept. 30 Terry Fox Walk/Run
Sept. 30 Hold & Secure Drill
Oct. 3
Oct. 6
Oct. 7
Oct. 10
Oct. 18
Oct. 19
Oct. 20
Oct. 26
Oct. 27
Oct. 27
Cross Country at Dagmar 12-3
Picture Day
P.A. Day (no school)
Thanksgiving Day (no school)
Kindies to Linton Farms 9-11:40am
Sub Day
SCC Meeting 7pm
Pizza Day
Cookie Day
Volunteer of Distinction Ceremony
Nov. 15
Nov. 18
Nov. 23
Nov. 30
Immunization Clinic
PA Day (no school)
Sub Day
Pizza Day
Newsletters are available online at http://www.ddsb.ca/school/sirsamuelsteele/Pages/default.aspx.
If you wish to have a hard copy sent home please fill out the following and return to the school.
__________ Yes, I would like a hard copy of the newsletter sent home.
________________________________________________________ Student Name
________________________________________________________ Classroom Teacher
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New Online Program Provides Convenience for Families
At our school, our greatest priorities are to ensure that all of our students are safe when at school and that
they arrive safely each and every day. To enhance our existing absence procedure, in September 2016, the
Durham District School Board (DDSB) introduced a new student absence reporting system called Safe
Arrival for all elementary and secondary schools. Parents may to choose report their child’s absence in
advance, or before bell time for the current day in one of two ways:
Toll Free Number: 1-844-350-2646
Website: attendance.ddsb.ca
This summer, any parents who have provided the school with a valid email address through verification or
registration form received an email with instructions on how to activate an account through any computer
in order to notify the school of future absences. All DDSB parents received a phone call with information
about this new service.
Online registration is not necessary for those parents who only wish to use the toll free number to call in
absences. Both phone and online options will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
As part of this program, we have also be introduced an automated notification system that will contact
parents when a student is absent but no notification was relayed to the school. If our automated system is
unable to reach a designated contact, office staff will follow up
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Did you know…
Attendance is essential to school success, but too often students, parents and schools do not realize how
quickly absences — excused and unexcused — can add up.
Chronic absence — missing only 10 percent of the school year, or just 2-3 days every month—can translate
into third-graders unable to master reading, sixth-graders doing poorly in courses and ninth-graders
dropping out of high school.
When do Absences become a problem?
CHRONIC ABSENCE – 18 or more days
WARNING SIGNS – 10 to 17 days
SATISFACTORY – 9 or fewer absences
**Note:early
Theseinnumbers
assume
a 180-day school year.
Get into a routine
the school
year:
-establish age appropriate bedtimes and routines
-pack lunches, backpacks and lay out clothes the night before
-allow enough time in the morning to get to school on time
ATTEND TODAY- ACHIEVE TOMORROW
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First Bell
Our entry bell rings at 8:55am and our first period begins at 9:00am. Please ensure that your child/children arrive to
school on time. This is an important life skill and lateness is disruptive to everyone.
Safe School Policies for 2016-2017
At Sir Samuel Steele we are committed to providing a secure, healthy and safe learning
environment for all of our students. To support this commitment please remember the following:
Kiss’n’Ride
Please choose “Safety over Convenience”.
When driving your students to school, be sure to use the kiss and ride driveway in an orderly manner. Please ensure
that your children exit onto the sidewalk. Refrain from parking in the circle or in the driveway along the west side of the
building at all times. Above all, drive cautiously.
The safety of our students is of the upmost importance.
Here are a few tips for using the Kiss’n’Ride:
• Pull up as far as you can in the kiss’n’ride lane.
• Do not pass the car in front of you.
• Have backpacks, lunch bags, etc. in the vehicle, not in
the trunk.
• Please stay in your vehicle.
Crossing Guard
Our local crossing guards would like to take this
opportunity to remind you of safe crossing practices.
• Follow the crossing guard’s instructions.
• Wait on the sidewalk until you hear the crossing guard blow the whistle a second time.
• The first whistle is to alert the traffic that people will be crossing. The second whistle is our signal
to cross.
• Cross directly; don’t walk slowly or play in the crossing. The guard has stopped the traffic for
you to cross so please show respect for the drivers by crossing quickly and as safely as possible
but...Don’t run across the crossing.
Dismissal Times
Dismissal times are very busy in any school. Parents are reminded to please wait outside to pick up your
children. It becomes a safety issue when hallways are overly congested. As well, many people in the hallways
make it very difficult to detect any strangers in the building. If you need to get out of your vehicle to pick up
your child, please park your car in one of our available parking spots or in the designated areas along the street.
Otherwise, please remain in your vehicle in the Kiss and Ride, and follow the established routines. Thank you
for caring about the safety of the great kids in our school!
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School Safety Week
School Safety Week occurs September 21-25. Staff and students will be practicing fire
drills, lockdown drills and discussing safety information. Safety is our first priority!
Volunteer Police Checks
To our volunteers – we welcome you back to Sir Samuel Steele Public School for another super year. The staff
and students appreciate your ongoing help and support. We would like to remind you that police checks need to
be in place before you come in to volunteer (MUST be updated each year). We are always looking for new
volunteers as well. Completed Criminal Record Checks (CRC) must be handed in at the office. Letters for you
to take to the police station are available in the office. Please stop by and get one if you are interested.
Visitor Check In
We welcome visitors at Sir Samuel Steele. ALL visitors are required to check-in at the office and wear a
‘Visitor’s Pass’. This procedure is to ensure the safety of all our students. It is very important that
parents/visitors do not enter the school at points other than the front door. We stress that everyone respects this
routine, as we work together to ensure that we have a safe environment for our students and staff. Safety First!
Item Drop Off
Effective Monday, September 12th, 2016, any items that are dropped off to students after the beginning of the
school day, will be left on a cart near the two main doors. Post-it notes and pens will be available for
parents/guardians to write their child’s name and the teachers names. Items will be collected each day at
recesses and the beginning of the lunch hour.
Medications
If your child will need medication at school, please pick up a “Request for Administration of Medication” form
from the office to be filled in by your doctor. These forms expire at the end of each school year.
Lunchroom Procedures
At lunch, students eat in their class-rooms supervised by either a teacher or a paid adult supervisor. It is a
privilege to stay at school for lunch. Children must follow the lunch time expectations listed below.
Expectations of lunch time routines:
1.
Students will remain in their classrooms eating for 20 min. and then have 40 min. of outside play time
(weather-permitting).
2.
Students who normally eat at school must have a note from his/her own parents to leave at lunch.
Other parents cannot take responsibility at lunch for other students without those parents’
written approval to the school.
3.
Students must clean up their eating place and leave the area tidy.
4.
Students are to sit while eating and observe the rules of courtesy and good manners.
5.
Teachers, Lunch Supervisors, and other students are to be treated with respect at all times.
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Lunchroom Supervisors Needed
If you have an hour each day, Sir Samuel Steele could you use your help as a paid Lunchroom Supervisor. This
position involves supervising students for 20 minutes while they eat their lunch, as well as supervising students
for 40 minutes outside as they play over the noon hour. As well, we could use anyone available to occasionally
fill one of our casual Lunchroom Supervisor positions.
If you are interested in working with our staff and students in any of these capacities, please contact Mrs. Peck
or Mrs. Kirton.
www.ddsb.ca
Durham District School Board Gifted Programme
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the Durham District School Board offers self-contained gifted
classes for identified intellectually gifted students beginning at the grade 4 level at a number of host elementary
and secondary schools throughout the region. The core curriculum as determined by the Ontario Ministry of
Education remains the same, but the teaching methods are differentiated to meet the needs of the gifted learner.
The self-contained programme has been carefully designed to meet the strengths, needs, learning style and
interests of the gifted learner.
The Ontario Ministry of Education defines giftedness as “an unusually advanced degree of general
intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally
provided in the regular programme to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated.”
In order to identify the gifted learner, the DDSB has developed a comprehensive screening procedure. It
begins with nominations in September. Parents, teachers and principals are invited to nominate children who may
benefit from such a programme. These children should exhibit above average ability, motivation and creativity. In
November, students who have been nominated will underg0 an intellectual assessment using a cognitive abilities
test called CCAT, which is administered by the Special Education Resource Teacher (S.E.R.T.) in a group setting.
Parents will receive a written report describing the results of this testing in January.
In order to assist us in the first step, the nomination of suitable candidates, we ask you to complete the
Nomination Form which follows. You may wish to speak with your child’s teacher about your decision, or attend
one of the Parent Information Evenings for further information. Please be aware that you may nominate your child
in grade three or any subsequent grade. If you are not interested in nominating your child this year, please simply
indicate on the Nomination Form that you do not wish to participate in the testing and return it to your child’s
teacher. Thank you for your cooperation
Michelle Doiron
Facilitator for Gifted Programmes
905-666-6357
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SHOULD I NOMINATE MY CHILD
FOR THE GIFTED PROGRAMME?
PARENTS OF STUDENTS IN
GRADES 3 OR HIGHER ARE INVITED TO A
PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT
The Facilitator for Gifted Programmes will be on hand to:
▸ describe the characteristics of gifted children;
▸
explain the testing procedures for admission to the gifted programme;
▸ clarify the programme options available for gifted children in the Durham District School Board.
Please choose to attend the Parent Information Night that is most convenient for you.
DATE
TIME
LOCATION
ADDRESS
Tuesday,
7:00
Education Centre
p.m.
Boardroom
400 Taunton Road E.,
Whitby, L1R 2K6
7:00
William Dunbar P.S.
1030 Glenanna Rd,
p.m.
Gym
Pickering, L1V 5E5
7:00
R.H. Cornish P.S.
494 Queen St.
p.m.
Gym
Port Perry, L9L 1K2
September 20, 2016
Thursday,
September 22, 2016
Thursday,
September 29, 2016
For further information please contact:
Michelle Doiron, Special Education Facilitator for Gifted Programmes,
Durham District School Board, 400 Taunton Road East, Whitby, Ontario, L1R 2K6
(905) 666-6357.
No registration necessary.
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SCC Barbecue and Meet the Teacher Night: Thursday September 15th
Thank you for joining us on Thursday, September 15th for the Welcome Back BBQ and Meet the Teacher
Night.
Book Fair
The Scholastic 'BOOKANEER' Book Fair was here! We thank all who participated by purchasing the latest
and greatest in children and young adult books. Your support of this vital literary event was a key part of
helping your school obtain new books and resources for our library and classrooms.
Thanks for joining us at the Book Fair during Curriculum Night/BBQ on Thursday September 15th!
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