We are quickly approaching the end of 2014 and the beginning of a new year. We have
already experienced weather that reminds us of the snow and cold temperatures that we
lived through last year. The children look forward to the snow and the opportunity to
slide down hills, roll snow into snowmen, and construct forts on the school yard. The
weather is often unpredictable at this time of year (actually, Niagara has a continuous
cycle of cold, snow, and thawing). Please be aware of the inclement weather procedures
that are in place in the DSBN. Information regarding inclement weather is available in
this newsletter and on our school website (ewfarr.dsbn.org).
DECEMBER 2014
E. W. FARR FOX NEWS
F r o m yo u r p r i n c i pa l
Along with the excitement on the school yard, there are many activities that have taken
place this year. There have been trips to the library, the pumpkin patch, and the Safety
Village just to name a few. There are also upcoming events. This month, Mrs. Main
(including other staff members) and the students are preparing for two vocal
performances in December. The annual Christmas Concert is taking shape with all of the
students preparing for their December 16th performance at Pelham Centre. As well,
there is a smaller choir practicing with Mrs. Main that will be singing for a local seniors
group in Fenwick. Please check out the calendar for other exciting events that will be
taking place throughout the month.
The teamwork that occurs to make this a great place to teach and learn is always evident.
We would like to extend our appreciation to the parents who volunteer at E. W. Farr.
We are thankful for the parents who have volunteered on school trips, in the school, and
on the school advisory council. In addition, we also appreciate those parents who prepare
and serve the nutritious hot lunches to the children. As well, thank you to all of the
families who took part in our parent/teacher interviews. It is wonderful to have this
connection between home and school to support student learning.
Best wishes for a safe and happy December and
throughout the holiday season.
Mr. S. Anderson
FUNDSCRIP
There is still
time to order gift cards before
Christmas. Gift cards make excellent
gifts and relieve some of your holiday
stress—no guessing at the right size or
wondering if the colour is right.
Simply go on line at
www.fundscrip.com. Enter our school
code (P7G45T) and order from a wide
variety of gift cards available. The
cards will be delivered right to your
door. No running from store to store.
The face value of the gift card is the
price you pay—without deduction.
If you prefer, we have attached an
order form which needs to be sent to
the school before Friday December 12
to ensure delivery by Christmas. The
order form indicates the percentage
returned to the school.
Remember, this is an on-going
fundraiser. Please use the on-line
information throughout the year.
If you have any questions, contact Karen
VanVliet @ [email protected]
Thank you for your support!
E. W. FARR
MEMORIAL
Book Fair
PUBLIC SCHOOL
The book fair brought in over $1500 in sales, giving us
a significant amount of resources for our library.
Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped to
make the event successful and a special thank you to
Mrs. Main for organizing the event.
9 Alsop Ave
Fenwick ON, L0S 1C0
ph: 905-892-3251
fax: 905-892-3666
email: [email protected]
web: EWFARR.DSBN.ORG
SCOTT ANDERSON
Principal
WES HAHN
Superintendent
905-641-1550
DALE ROBINSON
Trustee
905-680-2427
Christmas Concert
On Tuesday December 16, E. W. Farr staff and students will present their
Christmas gift to our community, through song, dance, and drama. Each
class is buzzing with excitement, as they are preparing to perform on our
stage. The performance will take place at 6:30 pm at Pelham
Centre Public School. The Kindergarten classes will be
performing at the beginning of each show. We would like
to thank the parents who are helping behind the scenes to
assist us in preparing our production. We appreciate it if
you would bring a donation of non-perishable food items to
support Pelham Cares in lieu of an admission fee. We look
forward to sharing our gifts with you.
KEEP OUR SCHOOL FREE OF GERMS
Please review the following precautions with your child. Let=s help reduce the spread of
all flu viruses.
1.
Wash your hands
2.
Stay home if you are sick
3.
Cover your cough or sneeze
4.
Avoid close contact with sick people
5.
Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth
6.
Don’t share your pencils, pens, etc.
Updated information is available at our Board’s website: http://www.dsbn.org or the Niagara Region Public Health at http://www.niagararegion.ca
NOVEMBER MILK PRIZE WINNERS
Each month, random winners will be drawn from those students who have submitted milk
orders. Winners receive a prize supplied by the Dairy Farmers of Canada through their
Elementary School Milk Program.
This month’s winners are:
Julien B, Karlyn V, Haiden S, Damien M
Please ensure your child’s name is on the order form.
Remembrance Day
Ceremony
On Tuesday, November 11, the E. W. Farr
community commemorated Remembrance Day.
Parents, grandparents and community members
attended the ceremony and helped us respectfully
remember our war heroes. The student
participation was fantastic and the presentations
were phenomenal. Thank you very much for your
attendance and support for our ceremony. We
also thank Ms de Waard for co-ordinating the
ceremony. See our website for pictures.
ICE SKATING
Plans are being made for the entire school to
go ice skating on two dates (tentatively
January 20 and February 10) at the Pelham
Arena. Bussing will be provided by the
school and, courtesy of the Town of Pelham, there is no
cost for the rink rental.
If you have extra children’s skates and/or helmets, please
consider donating them to the school. If
your child needs skates and/or a helmet,
please email the school ([email protected],
subject line “skating”) or send a note
indicating his/her size and we will try our
best to match donations to students.
DRESSING FOR THE WEATHER
Students are outside for two fitness breaks each day. Hats,
gloves, boots and warm jackets make this time more
enjoyable. It is always a good practice to pack extra mittens
and socks.
INDOOR
FOOTWEAR
With the approach of snow
and wet weather, each child
should keep a pair of shoes
or slippers at school. The
floors can get wet and cold,
and children should have
indoor foot wear; they cannot
wear socks or bare feet in
case of a fire emergency.
SNOW SNOW SNOW
It’s here! E. W. Farr’s rule is “leave it on the ground”.
Please reinforce this at home. For the safety of all students, we ask them not to throw or kick snow. At E. W.
Farr School, like all schools, we have a “Throw No Snow”
Policy. This means that, for obvious safety reasons, students do not make or throw snow balls, kick snow or in
any way cause snow to be directed at another person.
NEWSLETTER DRAW
The winner of last month’s newsletter draw is Justine K. Please fill out the ballot below and your name(s) will be entered in a
draw for a special treat.
Name(s):_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Class(es):________________________________________________________________________________________________
Christmas Trivia
Here are some interesting pieces of information to share with children or
show how Christmas-trivia-savvy you are at a holiday party
"It's a Wonderful Life" appears on TV more often than any other holiday movie.
"Rudolph" was actually created by Montgomery Ward in the late 1930's for a holiday promotion. The rest is history.
"The Nutcracker" is the most famous Christmas ballet.
"Jingle Bells" was first written for Thanksgiving and then became one of the most popular Christmas songs.
If you received all of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," you would receive 364 gifts.
In 1843, "A Christmas Carol" was written by Charles Dickens in just six weeks
Holly berries are poisonous.
Contrary to common belief, poinsettia plants are non-toxic.
Germany made the first artificial Christmas trees. They were made of goose feathers and dyed green.
In Mexico, wearing red underwear on New Year's Eve is said to bring new love in the upcoming year.
Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.
Clearing up a common misconception - in Greek, ‘X’ means Christ. That is where the word "X-Mas" comes from.
A selection of
Mrs. Haining’s Grade 1/2 Winter Poetry
BENEATH THE SNOW
Beneath the snow
some mice lay snug
as they frolicked in the straw and leaves
and one sensed spring had come.
Beneath the snow
some mice lay snug
as toasty as can be.
Outside the snow fell
like petals on a blossom tree.
Icicles
A frozen day.
Crystal icicles hanging from the roof
With a clear sight.
There it sits in the sky.
By: Claire P.
Once spring had come
they scampered out
to search for a tasty meal.
By: Georgia
H.
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT
INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURES
There may be times during the school year where inclement weather or other situations could cause transportation cancellations or school closures.
At times when student transportation has been cancelled and schools remain open, the decision of whether or not to have
children in school on that day rests with the parent or guardian.
Should you decide not to send your child to school in the event that transportation is cancelled but schools remain
open, or if your child is ill or late, please ensure that you call your child’s school to inform them of your child’s absence.
A key resource in any emergency is the DSBN Emergency Information form that you filled out at the beginning of the
school year. Please let the school know of any changes in contact information or procedures you wish to be followed
throughout the school year.
For secondary schools it may become necessary to cancel late buses. Notice will be provided via school announcements
and on the websites and subscription features by 11:30 a.m.
Information about transportation cancellations and school closures will be available as soon as it is available through the
following avenues:
Websites:
www.dsbn.org
www.nsts.ca
Subscription Features:
DSBN Facebook or Twitter
NSTS Transportation Delay or Cancellation Alerts
Phone:
Niagara Student Transportation Services 905-346-0290 Voice Auto Attendant
Radio Stations:
CKTB (610 AM) St. Catharines
CHRE (105.7 FM) St. Catharines
WAVE (94.7 FM) Hamilton
CHTZ-FM (97.7 FM) St. Catharines
CKOC (1150 AM) Hamilton
CKEY (105.1 FM) Niagara Falls/Fort Erie
CHML (900 AM) Hamilton
K-LITE-FM (102.9 FM) Hamilton
CHAM (820 AM) Hamilton
GIANT FM (91.7 FM) Welland
Y-108(107.9) Hamilton
Television Stations:
CHCH – Hamilton
CityTV Breakfast Television
CTV Toronto
Cogeco Channel 10